All adults should have access to free social care say Carlisle Greens
The Green Party in Carlisle has pledged to campaign for fully funded social care for all adults, which would put social care on a par with the NHS.
In the run up to the local elections on 5 May, Carlisle Greens have said it is vital to ensure that social care is publicly funded, to put an end to the system which costs people an estimated £11 billion per year [1].
The Green Party passed a motion at its Autumn Conference in October, calling for free social care for all adults, shortly after the Conservative Government announced an £86,000 cap on social care costs for individuals and imposed a rise in National Insurance to pay for social care services, a move the Green Party condemned [2]. Meanwhile, the Labour Party u-turned on its free social care policy last year.
Castle Ward candidate Gavin Hawkton said thousands of people in the area were already struggling to pay for social care costs, while individuals with disabilities were being discriminated against, as it places them at a financial disadvantage to their peers, and for many it is unaffordable.
Gavin Hawkton:
“We all know and appreciate that the NHS is based on the principle that need, not wealth should be the most important factor when it comes to the care we receive. Yet when it comes to social care both the Conservatives and Labour seem to be happy to let people in Carlisle struggle to afford the help they need.
“There are people across Carlisle who need help to eat and wash, get residential care when they need it and to lead a full life under the own control. We believe they should be able to do this with the support paid for in the same way as the NHS.
“At the same time, many people in this ward are employed within the care sector and so it is vital that they receive the good pay and conditions their work should demand, while also providing family carers with the support they often so desperately need but find lacking.”
Tom Adams, Green Party candidate for Brampton added that social care also includes the need to provide for elderly residents still living in their own homes:
“I know all too well from personal experience how difficult it is to secure regular visits from care providers because they are stretched to the limit. Steps to increase provision of home care must be placed higher on the agenda. Many live isolated lives in their homes with little communication from the outside world. Bodies that seek to promote ‘neighbourliness’ such as Brampton Acting Together and community centrescould be given more resources to carry out their vital work. The key word is community, and the council need to act more decisively to encourage these initiatives”
ENDS
Notes
1
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/audio-video/key-facts-figures-adult-social-care
2
3
https://greenworld.org.uk/article/labour-social-care-u-turn-no-way-do-politics
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Gavin Hawkton at contact@carlisle.greenparty.org.uk