Finance
+ Mencap response
December 15th, 2009
Mencap has responded to the adult social care green paper called ‘Shaping the Future of Care Together’.
This summer, Mencap held a consultation to hear the views of people whose lives would be affected by changes in social care in England. Thank you to everyone who took part in our consultation. We had over 1,200 responses. We used the responses to put together what we think about social care.
+ Parkinsons Disease Society
December 15th, 2009
The PDS were keen to engage its members and supporters in the Big Care debate and surveyed members, branches and supporters to gain their views of the proposals in the Green Paper. The PDS believed it to be important to ask its members about proposals to abolish Attendance Allowance and the option of a tax funded system, and included questions on these.
+ Disability Alliance response
December 15th, 2009
Shaping the Future of Care Together: Disability Alliance response to the Department of Health Green Paper on adult social care reform in England
+ Full response from MIND
December 15th, 2009
We are concerned that the Green Paper does not address the considerable barriers to accessing care and support which many people with mental health problems face now. As well as articulating a long term vision for a social care system which better serves the needs of users, there is an urgent need for the Government to take short and medium term action to increase access to a wider range of preventive social care services. This will prove more cost-effective for Government and local authorities in the long run, based on a global cost-benefit analysis.
+ Response to the green paper on adult social care – Joseph Rowntree Fund
December 15th, 2009
JRF welcomes the green paper and is very supportive of its aims and focus. However, while a fair, sustainable and transparent funding system will be crucial, our evidence also shows that more funding is not the entire solution: cultural and value change are also required to transform the social care system.
And while cross-party consensus appears to be emerging on the importance of change, it remains to be seen whether there is sufficient political will to bring this about. Increased and inclusive public engagement in the big care debate will also continue to be vital.
+ Personal care at home bill – 14th Dec 2009 HoC debate
December 15th, 2009
2nd reading of this Bill took place in House of Commons. Much mention is made of the Green Paper for Social care
+ Proposals for new National Care Service at risk of failing BME communities and carers
December 15th, 2009
Minister for Care Services Phil Hope failed to allay growing concern at a national BME carers’ conference that the new social care green paper on the creation of a National Care Service will fall short in meeting the needs of BME communities.
Read in full -Afiya Trust
+ Croydon council response to Green paper
December 15th, 2009
We cannot develop an informed opinion of the funding options without seeing the financial basis for the proposals. It is crucial for the government to set out its assumptions about the wider economy and tax systems, and about the implications for local government and individuals, together with a clear sense of the gainers and losers of each option. Any modelling needs to include, specifically, the implications for younger adults with care needs, during and beyond their working age lives. Once this has been done, there may well be other options or combinations which merit consideration.
Click for full article Croydon
+ Welfare Reform – Penalising claimants and carers
December 14th, 2009
Benefits culture click for full article
Benefits Culture is a blog written by a small group of people who are on incapacity benefits in the UK.
We examine the myths surrounding life on benefits, and the outright lies the media and politicians tell.
We’ll tell you what being on income support is really like, and why various people who suffer from depression, or PTSD, or chronic illness are unable to work.
And what about carers in particular, and David Cameron’s call for “big society” to take care of those who cannot work, rather than “big government”? Big Society would demand many more carers, yet if removing “big government” means taking away benefits, how are carers to survive? You cannot attack those who are not working for profit as “economically inactive” and at the same time insist they take on more of the workload – not unless you don’t mind being an intellectually bankrupt hypocrite, at any rate.
Carers need strong and reliable support services. They need allowances and benefits. They need recognition and appreciation for the vital work they do. And they need us to speak up for them, just as they so often speak up for us.
+ WRVS
December 11th, 2009
We regret that the tax-funded option has been ruled out, as one of the successes of the
NHS has always been that risk was shared by the whole of society and most services are
free at the point of access. The additional resources needed for a National Care Service
are relatively small compared with the £100 billion spent each year on the NHS, for
example