From the Editor: NCF calls on all parties to recognise that social care matters

The National Care Forum (NCF) is calling on all political parties to recognise that social care matters by prioritising adult social care reform in their manifestos.

The NCF has outlined five key must-haves for reform and long-lasting financial and environmental sustainability, developed in association with its membership:

• Think social care first – Ensure that people care about social care like they do the NHS and understand its central role in joined up health and care for people.
• Improve the pay, terms, and conditions of the workforce – Care work is intrinsically skilled and valuable and must be remunerated to reflect this.
• Invest in people, not profit – Adult social care should be for people, not profit.
• The care economy matters – Create an economic growth strategy for adult social care. Social care is a large employer contributing ￡51.5bn to the English economy, making it an essential part of the national infrastructure. It also has a large part to play in the development of a net-zero economy.
• Enshrine rights, fairness, and choice for people in a National Care Covenant – Co-produce and set out clearly the mutual rights and responsibilities of citizens, families, communities, and the state.

Speaking ahead of NCF’s fringe events at the Conservative and Labour Party conferences this coming October, and shortly after chairing a panel at the Liberal Democrats conference, NCF CEO Prof. Vic Rayner OBE said: “All political parties must have social care at the top of their agenda as we move closer to the next election. Prioritising social care in this way will talk to the 8 million unpaid carers, the 1.6 million care workforce, the millions receiving care at home or in a residential setting and the millions more unable to access the care they need when they need it, the families and friends of those needing care and the thousands of employers supporting those with caring responsibilities. They don’t think anyone is listening. So parties must talk social care first and they will hear you. Make no mistake, this is an issue that touches everyone - social care matters to us all.”

Andy Cole OBE , chief executive of Royal Star & Garter and chair of NCF’s board, added: “It’s vital that NCF is setting out the social care must-haves for the future. Social care is still often the poor relation of the NHS, so moving it to the top of the agenda is essential. In the not-for-profit care sector we focus on people, not profit, and it is high time our amazing workforce is properly recognised and valued. A collaborative approach will help to create a social care system that we all deserve and can be proud of.”

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