TThree sentences in Labour's 1945 manifesto contained a simple but historic promise: Money should no longer be your passport to the best treatment. A new National Health Service should have health centres, more and better hospitals, and a suitable environment for doctors and nurses so that the people can enjoy the best that modern science can offer. ”
For three years after Labour's election victory, Nye Bevan established the NHS, fighting opposition from the Conservative Party, the British Medical Association and some of his own cabinet members. For 76 years, Labor and Conservative governments alike have survived by providing free health care in times of need.
The idea was inspired by the Beveridge Report, which identified five giants: laziness, ignorance, disease, filth, and want. If this report were written today, William Beveridge would definitely add a sixth care need. The country's social care system is failing. Despite an aging population, access to publicly funded adult social care is declining, with fewer older people receiving state-funded care in the UK. 10% reduction From 2014 to 2015.
This is putting enormous pressure on the NHS. In November, more than 12,400 hospitalized patients per day were well enough to be discharged but had to stay overnight. One-third of these delays were due to lack of access to care in the community. We cannot solve the NHS crisis without social care solutions.
By 2050, there will be 4 million more people aged 65 and over in the UK than there are today.. If we do nothing, the real cost of social care will be expected to almost double By 2038 compared to 2018 figures. Many more people will be left without the care they need, health services will be strained and the NHS will be overwhelmed. We cannot continue to pay an increasingly high price for failure. Our NHS cannot afford to continue to take on any further strain. We cannot afford not to act.
Labor came under much criticism during the general election campaign for failing to explain its plans for the NHS in more detail. I was honest about the reason. General election campaigns are where social care programs disappear. In 2009, when Andy Burnham established a cross-party consultation on social care, David Cameron extracted and leaked details of the consultation to attack Labor in the election campaign. In 2017, it was Labor that rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's proposal. Rishi Sunak then pulled Boris Johnson's funding. Upper limit on nursing care costs.
Over the past 15 years, there have been many good ideas for dealing with this crisis, but good politics have been lacking. This government is committed to doing politics differently. Today I am announcing the Independent Commission on Building the National Care Service. The committee is scheduled to release an interim report next year and reach its conclusions at the end of the legislative session. The committee will hear from previous reviews of various aspects of social care, including Andrew Dilnot's research into the cost of care. It is no exaggeration to say that we are not starting from scratch.
I am pleased that Louise Casey has agreed to chair the committee. She has served under Labor, Conservative and Coalition governments. She is a trusted and independent figure who will bring all political parties together in the process of building a national consensus on what our country wants from social care and how the care service can best meet our needs. It will get the people involved.
She and I have already collaborated on immediate actions that can be taken today to improve social care. At the same time as the committee, the government has also announced an increase in subsidies for facilities for people with disabilities for 2024-2025. This will provide around 7,800 additional housing adaptations to help people with disabilities live safely and independently in their own homes.
We are publishing new national standards to help care users, their families, and care providers purchase the latest and most effective assistive technology. We are improving the integration of the NHS and social care, with the NHS and local authorities sharing funding and working together to keep people out of hospital, which is better for patients and less costly for taxpayers. will be done. We provide guidance and support to care workers to carry out routine monitoring such as blood pressure checks while caring for people. It also combines care and medical records to give NHS and care staff the complete picture they need to provide the best care for patients.
For care workers, this means trying new skills and more senior roles as part of a drive to professionalize the workforce. As Keir Starmer said at the Labor Party conference, his sister deserves as much respect for her role as a care worker as she does for her role as prime minister.
Alongside this action plan, we legislated a fair pay agreement to fill 131,000 vacancies in social care. We too, brought about a rise of £2,300. We provided a carer's allowance for family carers and allocated additional funding for social care in the budget. Although we have accomplished a lot in the last six months, there is still much to do and the best is yet to come.
It will take time, but Casey's work will eventually capture this nettle, meet the urgent needs of our generation, ensure quality care for all who need it, and provide long-lasting national care for the future. It will lead our country down the path of building services. .
