- Conference
- 2014 National Retired Members Conference
- Date
- 6 October 2014
- Decision
- Carried
This Conference notes the publication in September of the Final Report of the Commission on the Future of Health and social Care in England issued by the King’s Fund. This Report is concerned with the provision and affordability of Social Care. Some organisations representing older people have already welcomed the fact that the provision of and payment for social care set out in the report should be made out of general taxation and that discussion of this should be placed onto the national agenda. It is estimated that the cost of providing social care in England will rise from 9.6% to 12% within the next ten years.
Conference agrees that a national debate about the provision and affordability of care in England should take place.
Conference however recognises that some of the proposals in the report such as older people having to pay prescription charges are not acceptable until such time as the basic state pension is increased to at least the official poverty line figure.
Conference instructs the National Retired Members Committee and calls upon the National Executive Council to:
1 Reflect the views set out in the motion in any UNISON response to the Report
2 Work with the National Pensioners Convention to try to get the issue of provision and affordability of care put on the national agenda for discussion
3 Refer the matter to the Trades Union Congress to try to get a united Trade Union response to the Report.