The Personal Care at Home Bill was given a second reading. The Bill was designed to give around 280,000 of the neediest people in England free personal care in their own homes, with effect from October 2010. Care provided would cover basic living tasks such as getting up, dressing, washing, and using the toilet.
Source: Personal Care at Home Bill, Department of Health/TSO | Debate 14 December 2009, columns 664-742, House of Commons Hansard/TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | LGA briefing | Alzheimers Society press release
Date: 2009-Dec
The Department for Children, Schools and Families published its autumn 2009 performance report, showing progress in achieving its public service agreement targets.
Source: Autumn Performance Report 2009, Cm 7759, Department for Children, Schools and Families/TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Dec
The government published the Personal Care at Home Bill. The Bill was designed to give around 280,000 of the neediest people in England free personal care in their own homes, with effect from October 2010. Care provided would cover basic living tasks such as getting up, dressing, washing, and using the toilet. The government also began consultation on proposals for regulations and guidance made under the Bill.
Source: Personal Care at Home Bill, Department of Health, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Impact assessment | Consultation document | DH press release | Kings Fund press release | JRF press release | ADASS press release | LGA briefing | RCN press release | Carers UK press release | Disability Alliance press release | Alzheimers Society press release | Mencap press release | ECCA press release | WRVS press release | NIACE press release | ABI press release | NHS Confederation press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | Inside Housing report | Local Government Chronicle report
Date: 2009-Nov
The Prime Minister announced that the government would introduce free personal care for around 350,000 people in England with 'the highest needs' from October 2010.
Source: Speech by Gordon Brown MP (Prime Minister), 29 September 2009
Links: Text of speech | Kings Fund press release | ADASS press release | Alzheimers Society press release | Carers UK press release | BBC report | Inside Housing report | Community Care report (1) | Community Care report (2)
Date: 2009-Sep
A manifesto (by a coalition of charities and campaign groups) set out proposals for improving support for adults with multiple needs and exclusions. It said that the next government should develop a national policy framework on adults with multiple needs to stop them falling into the gaps between services.
Source: A Four-Point Manifesto for Tackling Multiple Needs and Exclusions, Making Every Adult Matter (oliver.hilbery@meam.org.uk)
Links: Manifesto | MEAM press release | Community Care report
Date: 2009-Sep
The government published a Green Paper on the future of the social care system. It highlighted the challenges faced by the existing system, and the need for radical reform to develop a national care service that was fair, simple, and affordable for everyone. Five possible funding options were considered: (1) no support from the state – ruled out because it would leave many people without the care and support they needed, and was fundamentally unfair because people could not predict what care and support they would need; (2) partnership, with a set proportion of basic care and support costs paid for by the state, dependent on income – some people who needed high levels of care and support would have to spend their savings and sell their homes; (3) insurance, with a set proportion of basic care and support costs paid for by the state and additional costs met through voluntary insurance – this would help people to protect their wealth and the value of their homes; (4) comprehensive, with everyone over retirement age who had the resources to do so required to pay into a state insurance scheme – all basic care and support would be free at the point of use; (5) tax-funded, with people paying tax throughout their lives in order to fund current care needs – ruled out because it placed a heavy burden on people of working age.
Source: Shaping the Future of Care Together, Cm 7673, Department of Health, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Green Paper | Hansard | DH press release | JRF press release | NLGN press release | ADASS press release | NHS Confederation press release | Mind press release | Mencap press release | Rethink press release | Alzheimers Society press release | Carers UK press release | PRTC press release | NAT press release | CIH press release | London Councils press release | CSP press release | Conservative Party press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Community Care report (1) | Community Care report (2) | Community Care report (3) | Community Care report (4) | Telegraph report | Local Government Chronicle report
Date: 2009-Jul
A report set out proposals for what a reformed system of adult social care and support should look like. It said that the system should be based on: a clear system of care; a fairer and more realistic funding settlement; fair access, involving a balance between national minimum standards and local flexibility; a fair minimum standard; and giving the local government sector the lead role in reform.
Source: A Fairer Future, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Report | Summary | Community Care report
Date: 2009-Jun
A survey examined public levels of awareness and understanding of social care provision. There was a lack of awareness about social care, confusion about how services were funded, and a widespread lack of preparation or planning for future care needs.
Source: Expectations and Aspirations: Public attitudes towards social care, Institute for Public Policy Research (020 7470 6100) and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Links: Report | IPPR press release | Guardian report
Date: 2009-May
A paper examined the issues involved in achieving closer integration of health and social care.
Source: Chris Ham, Only Connect: Policy options for integrating health and social care, Nuffield Trust (020 631 8450)
Links: Paper
Date: 2009-Apr
A report set out four interim measures that could make the social care system much fairer, ahead of the government's Green Paper on its long-term plans to reform the care funding system (due in late 2009). The four measures were: equity release, allowing older home-owners to pay for home-based care by deferring the costs until their home was sold; higher capital limits for care home fees, to help those with modest assets; doubling the personal expenses allowance, to give more dignity to people in care homes supported by local authorities; and free personal care for all people requiring nursing care, to remove inconsistencies between whether or not nursing care was funded by the National Health Service or the individual.
Source: Sue Collins, Options for Care Funding: What could be done now?, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241)
Links: Report | JRF press release | Alzheimers Society press release | Community Care report | Telegraph report
Date: 2009-Mar
A report set out the findings from a national conference of service users and policymakers in social care, which was designed to explore what kind of social care they wanted for the future and how it could be achieved.
Source: Peter Beresford and Frances Hasler, Transforming Social Care: Changing the future together, Brunel University Press (01895 274688)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Mar
A briefing paper set out how adult social care in England was funded, outlined some of the main criticisms of the existing arrangements, and described the types of changes that the government might consider for its reform.
Source: Funding Adult Social Care in England, King's Fund (020 7307 2591)
Links: Briefing
Date: 2009-Mar
A think-tank report said that there should be a constitution for social care, enshrining the rights and responsibilities of social care users and putting social care on an equal footing with healthcare services.
Source: Jamie Bartlett and Silvia Guglielmi, A Constitution for Social Care, Demos, available from Central Books (020 8986 5488)
Links: Report | Summary | Leonard Cheshire press release | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Feb
The equality and human rights watchdog examined the future of care and support, and the role that the latter could play in promoting human rights, equality, and good relations. It highlighted the key principles that should affect future decisions and strategic choices about long-term investment in social care. The social care sector should do away with 'rigid, bureaucratic' systems and underpin their approach with human rights principles, characterized by fairness, dignity, respect, and autonomy.
Source: From Safety Net to Springboard: A new approach to care and support for all based on equality and human rights, Equality and Human Rights Commission (020 3117 0235)
Links: Report | Community Care report
Date: 2009-Feb
A think-tank report said that future social care for older people required a radical new combined social insurance scheme. Existing local funding strains were unsustainable, and too many frail elderly people were being forced to sell and move out of their homes.
Source: Giorgia Iacopini and Chris Leslie, Better With Age: Reforming the future of local social care for older people, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: NLGN press release | Community Care report
Date: 2009-Feb