Jeremy Hunt has announced plans for the upcoming Green Paper in the summer. At the British Association of Social Workers conference yesterday, he announced a joint NHS and social care 10-year workforce strategy and a £1m pilot scheme in Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. Mr Hunt also confirmed there will be a cap on costs to bring more equity into the way people pay for care.
The long awaited Green Paper will set out the seven key principles to reform social care. There might be a need for legislation, given the requirement for the Government to translate what they’re saying into action.
Mr Hunt did comment that the current charging system for social care is “unfair”, saying:-
“If you develop dementia and require long-term residential care, you are likely to have to use a significant chunk of your savings and the equity in your home to pay for that care. But if you require long-term treatment for cancer you won’t find anything like the same cost.”
Disappointing comments arose from people within the sector, who said that Mr Hunt did not mention the need for urgent short-term funding and what will happen between now and 2020.
