Further delays in social care reform
Why further delays in social care reform will continue to impact employers
Reform to the provision of social care services in England has long been a political hot potato. Indeed, the report published by the Dilnot Commission way back in 2011 stated;
“The current social care system is widely regarded as inadequate, unfair and unsustainable. The Dilnot Commission was established to report on how to deliver a fair, affordable and sustainable funding system for social care in England”
Yet almost a decade and a half later and no tangible improvements have been actioned. This is despite many manifesto and political promises. The last serious attempt at reform was the short-lived Health & Social Care Levy that was announced, introduced and then cancelled in the space of just 15 months.
Latest developments
It follows that the announcement made by the Government last week to revisit social care reform is long overdue and most welcome. The Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, announced an independent commission would be chaired by Baroness Louise Casey. Streeting said;
“The independent commission will work to build a national consensus around a new national care service able to meet the needs of older and disabled people into the 21st century”
The commission will report in two tranches, with the final recommendations not expected until 2028. Given the delays to reform already experienced, there is widespread concern that this further reporting delay will not help. Indeed, Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King’s Fund said to the BBC;
“Measures to help the workforce, measures to improve quality and so on, you don’t need a commission to enable you to do a whole load of stuff”
Criticism of this further delay has also come from many other experts, and may yet lead to the government shortening the reporting timelines.
The impact on employers?
In the meantime, the manifest problems with social care provision in England continue.
This all adds to the existing problems within the NHS, and contributes to the annual winter pressures to the service. Speaking on the Today programme last week, Doctor Adrian Boyle said;
There are enormous amounts of avoidable harm – by which we mean excess deaths that shouldn’t be happening… there is a chronic lack of beds in our hospitals – and we don’t use those beds properly because we don’t have reform to social care”
It follows that until social care reform takes place, there is likely to be a bed blockage at the top of the NHS care offering. This results in “knock-on” impacts to many other users of the NHS and poses a genuine problem to employers seeking to better manage sickness absence and improve wellbeing and productivity.
It should also be noted that the vast majority of British Workers are entirely dependent on the NHS for medical support and treatment. Even those with access to Private Medical Insurance often remain reliant on the NHS for emergency treatment and the initial gateway to private services.
With this in mind Occupational Health Assessment Ltd would once again urge employers to do everything they can to improve worker wellbeing and prevent ill-health hospital admissions where possible. For more thoughts on this issue please read this post from last year, or contact us to speak to one of our expert team around the pro-active use of health assessments in wellbeing programmes.
About Occupational Health Assessment Ltd – a nationwide occupational health provider
Occupational Health Assessment Ltd provides rapid access to expert occupational health support for businesses across the United Kingdom. Appointments are available nationwide within two days.
With a unique occupational health assessment service, night worker health assessments, fitness certifications and access to clinics in Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Northampton, Nottingham, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke, Surrey and more, the business provides high quality, expert medical advice.
Please contact us for further information or assistance.