Five ‘must have’ social care reforms for the next government have been set out by the National Care Forum (NCF).

The reforms were laid out following the Liberal Democrats’ party conference this week which signalled the beginning of party campaigning for the general election expected in 2024.

The reforms, which have been developed in association with the NCF’s membership, are:

• 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: reate an economic growth strategy for adult social care – social care is a large employer contributing £51.5 billion 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 in October and after she had chaired a panel at the Liberal Democrats conference on Monday this week, Professor Vic Rayner, chief executive of the NCF, 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.”

More detail can be found here https://www.nationalcareforum.org.uk/voice/ncf-policy-agenda/