Are we reaching a tipping point?
When we launched The Carents Room, it seemed like we were a relatively lone voice, crying out for better support for older people and carents. Since then, the cries have got louder and are coming from all directions.
In December, the House of Lords Adult Social Care Committee published its report calling on the government to prioritise reforms to adult social care, to give more choice and control for those needing care and provide better support for carers.
The report – A gloriously ordinary life – emphasises that this topic is important to everyone because, at some point in our lives, we are all likely to either need care or provide support to someone we care about.
It recognises many of the challenges carents face and at the same time confronts some of the assumptions which underpin the social care system in the UK. Also, it shows how local government funding for adult social care has failed to keep pace with changing demographic pressures and how this impacts on individuals and carents.
The choice for people is stark in the extreme: go without or self-fund, or more commonly, when it is a possibility, rely on family or friends. Pressure is growing inexorably on unpaid carers to ‘step up’ and provide the care and support that no one else will. And while friends and families are often prepared to provide support out of love, they often find that they must do so out of inevitable necessity and with insufficient support. The huge weight of evidence we have received shows that people are stripped of all choice and control when it comes to determining the terms of their most intimate relationships.
House of Lords Adult Social Care Committee
It also highlights the importance of giving carents the information they need to better support those they love.
One significant problem which we heard many times is that there is little support for carers to navigate the system, which means that they often find themselves endlessly searching for advice and information, despite the very little time that they have to do so. We were told that this can be particularly challenging at times of transition, for example when a child starts accessing adult social care, or when an adult suddenly finds themselves in hospital. In many cases, neither carers nor the individuals themselves are signposted to information, which makes navigating the social care system especially difficult in a time of crisis.
House of Lords Adult Social Care Committee
For those of us concerned with care, this report is uplifting, and provides a positive vision of care and a society whichpromotes greater humanity, equality and independence.
The Church of England is also entering into the debate. Its Reimagining Care Commission is currently considering the relationship between caring and humanity and is expected to report at the end of January. The commission states that, when it comes to care, there is no clear agreement or public understanding of who is supposed to do what, no clarity about what should be expected of individuals, families and communities, or what can be expected in return.
It is proposing a radical shift in how individuals, families, communities and the state relate to one another.
Society is richer when there is dignity for all and we treat one another with compassion. We have become more aware of gaps in our society: we have not sufficiently valued and loved many people in care and those living with disability
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell
It feels good to see such a broad spectrum of powerful voices calling for change. Whilst the solutions are neither easy nor clear, the tipping point may be in sight!
