• March 28, 2024
 ‘Social Care Too Important For Politicisation’: Cue The Manifesto Pledges

‘Social Care Too Important For Politicisation’: Cue The Manifesto Pledges

Matt Hancock, Health Secretary, has claimed social care is too important an issue to be politicised, so of course, it has become one of the main manifesto considerations of all political parties.  

During his recent article in The Guardian, Hancock called for a ‘cross-party consensus’ on the solutions needed to broach the issues plaguing the sector. Whilst the individual Parties are broadly in agreement with how to improve social care, they vary greatly in the investment needed to improve the social care system. 

Despite the Conservative manifesto still days away from publication, Hancock went on to pledge an additional £1 billion per year to the social care sector. 

The Conservative party had already promised £1 billion in additional funding in 2020 but the new pledge will span for the entirety of the next government’s reign which would end in 2024/25. 

The Labour Party have costed social care reforms of up to £6 billion per year, with a headline pledge of free personal care in England for people in need over the age of 65. 

The increased investment has the potential to double those receiving free care and help those with estates valued over £23,250 who are obliged to contribute to their care. 

The Green Party has suggested similar reforms to Labour but has pledged £4.5 billion per year, significantly more than both Labour and the Conservatives. 

A 1% income tax increase will help to fund the £7 billion additional income promised to the NHS and social care sectors by the Liberal Democrats. 

Labour claim the issue is so important because £8 billion, in real terms, has been lost to the sector since 2010 with 2.6 million people forced to leave their jobs to provide full time care to their older family members during the age of austerity 

On average, under the current system, 1,760 older homeowners per month or 406 older homeowners every week are being forced to sell their homes to fund their social care costs. 

According to recent research by Independent Age, 21,120 homes were sold in 2018 with the funds being used to pay for the vital care all people should be entitled to as we age. 

In comparison, only 11,800 homes were sold to fund similar care in 2000. This represents a 77% increase in family homes being sold to fund the social care crisis in the past 19 years. 

As the social care sector awaits a definitive solution to help alleviate a crisis on the verge of imploding, it seems as though cross-party collaboration is still a long way off as each political party uses the issue to bolster their manifesto arsenal.  

Martin Parrin