Economist Sir Andrew Dilnot — one of the UK’s leading authorities on social care reform — has urged the Government to speed up the work of Baroness Casey’s newly announced commission.
The architect of plans for a care costs cap more than a decade ago has commended the decision to set up the commission. But Sir Andrew feels it is ‘completely unnecessary’ to wait until 2028 at the earliest before its findings are made public.
He feels it is ‘perfectly feasible’ for the Government to set out its plans by the end of this year and believes a three-year wait for clarity is an ‘inappropriate length of time’.
Earlier this year Sir Andrew, who set out his own blueprint for care reform in 2011, told North East regional weekly The QT that more urgent action is required.
“It’s an area where we’re letting people down,” he said. “We’re letting down not just the people who are being cared for but also the people doing the caring both formally and informally.
“What’s missing is action and there’s a whole range of people left in an intolerable situation — most obviously the people who need care. But it’s also a nightmare for the people providing care. There isn’t enough resource provided for them.”
Following the announcement of Baroness Casey’s commission, Sir Andrew said it was ‘blindingly… bleedin’ obvious’ that the profile of social care — and associated funding — should be raised as a matter of priority.
He also told The QT: “It’s a huge sector that will affect most of us before we die, and we behave as though it’s not there.”
Callum Thompson, CEO of Business Energy Claims, has welcomed the establishment of a commission but fears its findings will come too late to alleviate the immediate financial strain on many care home owners and managers.
“We’re working harder than ever to better understand the various challenges facing the care home sector,” he said. “At the same time we’re working on behalf of the fantastic people at the coal face of social care to try and claw back money they can ill afford to be without. By winning cases against unscrupulous energy firms and rogue brokers we can help to ease some of the short term financial pressures our friends in social care face right now.”