Chair of The Independent Care Group, Mike Padgham, has called for health and social care to be integrated into a National Care Service.

Speaking to Caring Times, Padgham said the move was vital to ending the current health crisis and creating a “proper, cradle to the grave care service for the people of this country”.

Padgham said: “In 1948, when the NHS was set up, life expectancy and family dynamics at the time meant that people’s care as they got older was not included in the system created then.

“With hindsight that was hugely damaging because, as life expectancy grew and people lived longer with more and more complex care needs and family life changed, the care of older adults and those with long-term illness and disability got left behind.”

The care leader and managing director of Saint Cecilia’s Care Group called for a “single, unified service for all the population”, adding: “While it might need some initial investment to properly fund the social care element, reducing the bureaucracy will mean we will save money in the long run and provide a far better care service than we have now.”

Noting how the current bed blocking crisis in the NHS highlighted how the “current system isn’t working”, Padgham said “we need to ‘level up’ NHS healthcare and social care so that they work better”.

Padgham said: “The Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing dire staff shortages and spiralling costs have thrown the social care sector further into crisis with care and nursing homes closing and homecare providers struggling.

“At the moment we have a struggling, fractured care service whilst what we need is a joined up service with providers providing proper preventative care to ease pressure on the NHS.”

The Scottish government has launched plans for a National Care Service by the end of the current Parliament but they have been met with strong opposition.