Reactions to the White Paper on social care reform
2010-03-31 18:47:00
A selection of reactions from politicians, charities and social care experts to the proposals put forward in Labour’s White Paper on social care, ‘Building the National Care Service’.
‘This is a very important day for securing decent care in later life. We welcome the government's staged approach to reforming the care system, its commitment to give free care to those most in need and free care to those in residential settings after two years. These reforms comprise a significant reform agenda for the next parliament.’
Michelle Mitchell, charity director of Age Concern and Help the Aged
‘Free care for all is a historic commitment and signals a new frontier to the welfare state. Everyone needing care should be assured that their needs will be put first. The white paper is a landmark that heralds better care for generations to come.’
Stephen Burke, chief executive of the charity Counsel and Care
‘This is an ambitious plan and if all political parties work together it provides a real opportunity to turn around the social care crisis we currently face. However this will take time and we now need information of how the immediate funding shortfall is to be met.'
Ruth Sutherland, Acting Chief Executive, The Alzheimer’s Society
‘We welcome a staged approach but this will only work if detailed proposals are set out without delay. While political consensus is vital, further deliberation could slow down the momentum for reform.’
Anna Dixon, acting chief executive of the King's Fund
‘Social care in Britain has been in crisis for decades, but many older people and their families will not be able to wait until 2016 before they get any help.’
Dot Gibson, general secretary of the National Pensioners' Coalition
‘We're disappointed by the delay, lack of detail and any figures. Overall, it seems like a lot of waiting just to be told that they are going to a Royal Commission – which they could easily ignore as they did with long term care in 1999 – to draw up proposals for a change in the system for 2015.’
Emma Soames, Saga spokesman
‘The Government is in complete retreat and they have ended up with not a White Paper but frankly a train crash. We seem to have arrived at the point where Andy Burnham is saying he wants everyone to have free care but he doesn't know how to pay for it.’
Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary
‘After 13 years in power spent ducking social care reform, we probably shouldn't be surprised that Labour has once again hit it (the funding issue) into the long grass... We're now being offered a series of piecemeal reforms that have not been properly thought through or costed.’
Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman