At the election, I stood on a manifesto that committed to supporting a high-quality and sustainable social care system and providing local authorities with a multi-year funding settlement to support social care. The manifesto also committed capping the cost of social care from 2025, and it is greatly disappointing that the new Labour Government has decided to scrap these reforms.
There are currently 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this is projected to rise to 1.6 million by 2040, so it is crucial that the social care system is set up to meet the needs of those affected by dementia. I recognise the urgency of the Alzheimer’s Society campaign calling on the Government to invest in social care and to commit to a long-term workforce strategy.
I wholeheartedly agree with the importance of supporting disabled people to access the social care services they need and various measures introduced during the last Parliament sought to improve and support access for social services, including for disabled people. These included a cap on care costs and more generous means testing for care aimed to reduce the amount anyone in England will need to spend on their personal care.
The previous Government made progress in supporting our care workers, publishing a refreshed strategy to bolster the adult social care workforce, speed up discharge from hospital and accelerate the use of technology in the sector over the next two years. In 2024, they unveiled a package of measures that will reaffirm care work as a career, helping to recruit and retain talent by providing new, accredited qualifications, digital training and funded apprenticeships. The reforms are underpinned by a new career pathway for care workers - the first time this has been brought together in a single place for care staff to use - to build and develop their careers. This included a new qualification which will support up to 37,000 individuals in direct adult social care roles to enrol on the new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate.
Regarding pay, most care workers are employed by private sector providers who ultimately set their pay independent of central government but I know local authorities work with care providers to determine a fair rate of pay based on local market conditions. I warmly welcomed the previous Government’s additional funding to support local authorities to move towards paying providers a fair rate for care and provide the means to improve working practices.
Additionally, the National Living Wage was increased during the last Parliament by 9.7 per cent in 2023. It is essential that we continue increasing and supporting our social care workforce, and care workers themselves are at the heart of this. The work they carry out is vital, ensuring that people who need support can live full, rewarding lives. It was right that over the last two years, the last Government provided an additional investment of up to £8.6 billion for social care with measures introduced at the Spring Budget 2024 protecting levels of funding for the NHS in England in real terms.
It is disappointing that the new Government has not yet committed to publishing the Major Conditions Strategy. Developed over the last year – in consultation with patient groups – this Strategy aimed to outline how outcomes in six major conditions, including dementia, could be improved. However, I do welcome the commitments on adult social care the new Labour Government has made as it is vital that we continue to build on the progress already made in improving adult social care services, especially for those who face additional challenges in terms of access and support needed.
I will press the new Government to build on reforms started in recent years, which included substantial investment in a new care workforce pathway, a new level 2 qualification, investment in apprenticeships and funding to pay for thousands of learning and development courses for social care staff. I will closely monitor any new proposals made, as it is vital that we get this right.
