{"id":259,"date":"2021-05-11T16:58:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T15:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/?p=259"},"modified":"2026-04-22T10:49:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T09:49:51","slug":"when-will-the-government-turn-its-promises-of-social-care-reform-into-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/blog\/when-will-the-government-turn-its-promises-of-social-care-reform-into-action\/","title":{"rendered":"When will the government turn its promises of social care reform into action?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sarah, our Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Research, explains the need for the government to get on with reforming social care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you switched on the television this morning you might have seen the coverage of the Queen in the Houses of Parliament, joined by lots of people in funny outfits, carrying the crown on a big cushion and banging on doors. Though it might seem like a weird ritual, it\u2019s an important part of our country and how it runs \u2013 it was the state opening of parliament and the Queen\u2019s speech.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Queen\u2019s speech and opening of parliament is a bit like the start of a new term at school. The Queen is like the headteacher, setting out what work will be covered and what should be achieved.  For organisations like Sense, it\u2019s an opportunity for us to hear what the Government plans to work on over the next few months, things like new laws or changes to policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lack of government response to social care is unacceptable<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like many people, I watched the Queen\u2019s speech today and wondered if social care would be mentioned.  We\u2019ve been waiting for social care reform for many years, but it hasn\u2019t yet happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We see the reality of this every day: too many disabled people with complex needs and their families unable to access their local communities, communicate and connect. Too little support for family carers, unable to get the respite they need. Too little equipment, support, and services to provide care.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is unacceptable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what did we get in the speech?  One sentence: \u201cproposals on social care reform will be brought forward\u201d.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the face of it, this might sound positive, but we\u2019ve been here before \u2013 this was said in the Queen\u2019s speech 2019, and the Prime Minister made a promise on the steps of Downing Street but still we haven\u2019t seen anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in the run-up to the Queen\u2019s speech, there was a lot of coverage in the media about disagreements over social care between government departments. For too long, disabled people and others who use social care have fallen through the cracks of disagreements and debate with no action taken. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reform would transform the lives of people who use social care<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Sense, we know that the last year has been extremely challenging for everyone and that the government has had many pressing priorities. But this isn\u2019t an excuse to delay reform again; it\u2019s an opportunity to bring it forward and to transform the lives of people who use social care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic has shown us how vital front-line staff are and the valuable role that social care provides, but it\u2019s also highlighted how far behind social care is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had to fight to get testing, vaccines and PPE for services that support disabled people and social care. Those who work in these services simply don\u2019t receive the same level of support as the NHS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Sense, there are some key things we want to see these reforms do:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n