A New Dawn For Social Care?
The government seems keen to reinvent social care — but it’s not yet clear how. Here are the key decisions they have to make.
If the early rhetoric of new Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid is anything to go by, the Tories’ manifesto commitment to reform the social care system is, for the first time, back at the top of the government’s priorities.
The Secretary of State told MPs on Monday that his goal, beyond ridding the country of the current coronavirus restrictions, is to find “a long-lasting, sustainable solution to the social care challenge that this country faces”.
In the 2 years that Johnson has been at the helm of the government, we’ve heard this very same message a number of times. On the steps of №10 in July 2019, he pledged to find a cross-party agreement on reforming the social care system, referencing “a clear plan we have prepared”. The Conservative manifesto later in 2019 promised a commencement of cross-party talks within 100 days. Now 18 months and one pandemic later, that plan is desperately needed.
Since Javid’s appointment, we’ve heard some — rather vague — ideas trickle out of government. Alongside Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the fresh-faced new Health Secretary is said to be keen on a tax rise to pay for the…
