WBG responds to Government’s five-point immigration plan
We are seriously concerned about the impact that the hastily announced five-point plan for immigration will have on millions of families.
Blog Post
New report launched by the PSA Care Commission and Women’s Budget Group (2016)
With the Autumn Financial Statement just three weeks away, a major new report launched today by the PSA Commission on Care calls on the government to take urgent and comprehensive action to tackle the crisis in care for older people.
The report, Towards a New Deal for Care and Carers, laments the failure of successive governments and political parties to recognise social care as a political priority. Growing demand resulting from a rapidly ageing population and cutbacks to funding has left the formal care system at breaking point with high levels of unmet needs, low pay and poor conditions for care workers, and an increasing reliance on unpaid carers. There are now a million older people with care needs that are not being met by any public source1.
The report is based on a year-long inquiry into the state of care for older people in England. Key findings include that:
The Commission recommends:
Belinda Phipps, Chair of the Commission commented:
“It is clear: the social care system is unsustainable and in crisis. This crisis has been caused by sustained under-funding and made worse by six years of austerity policies and a dysfunctional care system. A lack of political will to solve it has perpetuated it.
The care system is failing recipients of care and their families, care workers and ultimately society. The care crisis may be perceived as ‘too big’ to tackle, but this is a false economy.
Failing to take action has high costs, not just in the care sector but also to the NHS. The short-term savings that come from cutting eligibility to care often serve merely to increase the number of people with acute care needs that ultimately are far more costly to address.”
Professor Shirin Rai, Member of the Commission said:
“We call on the government to work towards a National Care Service that is free at the point of delivery, sustainably funded and staffed by a qualified and well-paid workforce. In the short term, we call for an immediate funding boost to end bed-blocking, tackle unmet need and relieve pressure on the many unpaid carers who are stepping in as a measure of last resort.
We strongly urge on the government to make investment in social care a priority in the upcoming Autumn Financial Statement, not only for economic reasons but to secure a fair and caring society where everyone gets the support they need, irrespective of their colour, class or creed.”
About the PSA Commission on Care
The Political Studies Association (PSA) Commission on Care was established in September 2015 to investigate the urgent crisis in the care sector and, in particular, the failure of successive governments to take action in the face of this crisis. The Commission brings together academic and policy expertise through the co-operation of the following organisations: Universities of Warwick and Sheffield, the Fawcett Society and Women’s Budget Group.
We are seriously concerned about the impact that the hastily announced five-point plan for immigration will have on millions of families.
A pre-Budget briefing on 'Health Inequalities and Gender' from the UK Women’s Budget Group – Spring 2023
Our social care system is in crisis and women are bearing the brunt.
Ahead of the November 2019 Budget, the Health and Social Committee is conducting a short inquiry for the NHS long term plan consultation.