- Conference
- 2006 National Delegate Conference
- Date
- 28 February 2006
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference believes that there is a great need for a review of the challenges and demands facing social care, and the resources that will be needed to deliver social care fit for the 21st century.
Conference welcomes the current review by Sir Derek Wanless of social care for older people in England but regrets that this is not being funded by the Department of Health or ODPM but the Kings Fund. In 2001, the Wanless Review of future health spending in the United Kingdom identified a massive historic shortfall in health spending. This laid the ground for the Chancellor to announce in the 2002 Budget and Spending Review a £40bn cash injection for the NHS over 3 years and National Insurance rises for employees and employers to pay for it. Conference, therefore believes that the new Wanless Report expected in 2006 could assist in identifying the massive historic under funding of social care and the increasing future demand and complex needs.
Conference notes that some 486,000 people are looked after in independent and local authority-run care homes, down 9,600 in the last 12 months. Care home places peaked in 1996 but have dropped by 89,000 since then as more and more people are looked after in their homes.
Conference further notes that about one million people work in social care of whom over 80% are women and that two thirds of social care employees work in the independent sector.
Conference therefore resolves to work with appropriate organisations including the National Pensioners’ Convention to:
1)campaign for a massive increase in social care spending to meet need as part of the 2006 and 2007 Government Spending Reviews;
2)campaign for high quality social care provision with a well trained and rewarded staff;
3)exploit the opportunities of the Wanless Report on Social Care;
4)reaffirm policy for personal care to be free, as in Scotland;
5)to work with the STUC, WTUC and ICTU to influence the social care agenda in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.