{"id":52610,"date":"2024-07-02T09:36:09","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T08:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/?p=52610"},"modified":"2024-10-08T12:11:45","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T11:11:45","slug":"general-election-2024-social-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/blog\/general-election-2024-social-care\/","title":{"rendered":"General Election 2024: What needs to change in social care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our social care system is in crisis. This UK General Election is an opportunity to change that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n\n

Sense\u2019s plan for change<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sense doesn\u2019t support any political party. Our priority for this General Election is to make sure that disabled people, including the 1.6 million people with complex disabilities<\/a>, are at the heart of what the next government does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why we\u2019ve published our plan for change, outlining the seven key changes the next UK government needs to make for disabled people.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

\n Read our plan for change<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

A quarter of people with complex disabilities that we surveyed receive social care, but one in five don\u2019t feel that they have the right support to meet their needs.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a problem that\u2019s only getting worse. Sense research found<\/a> that a quarter of people with complex disabilities who receive social care had their support slashed in the last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next UK government needs to change this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what we believe the next UK government must urgently do to fix the social care crisis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Don\u2019t leave disabled people out of the social care conversation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Debates about social care reform often focus on the needs of elderly people. But many disabled people also need care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, a quarter of people with complex disabilities receive social care.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some disabled people get visits from care workers in their own homes, while others live in supported living or in full-time residential care.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good social care should not only meet basic needs, like supporting someone with washing or preparing basic meals, but also allow people to live meaningful lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It should give people with complex disabilities the ability to communicate, take part in their communities and make choices about their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s vital that the next government announces a plan for social care reform that makes sure every disabled person can access the care they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Make sure there is enough money to fund quality care<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Right now, there isn\u2019t enough money in the pot for social care. The budgets of local authorities, who are responsible for social care, are stretched to breaking point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means that fewer disabled people are getting the support they need to lead independent and meaningful lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We want the next UK government to set out a 10-year funding plan for adult social care, to provide the quality care that disabled people need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re also calling for the next government to close the \u00a3500million funding gap in children\u2019s social care services. No disabled child child should be going without support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Improve pay and conditions for care workers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Sense research has shown that a third of people with complex disabilities who receive social care have been impacted by a lack of care staff.”<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the key reasons why people are missing out on care is staff shortages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sense\u2019s research<\/a> has shown that a third of people with complex disabilities who receive social care have been impacted by a lack of care staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lack of funding for social care has meant that providers haven\u2019t been able to pay workers well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has led to many care workers leaving their jobs for roles in the NHS, or in unrelated sectors like retail, for better pay and opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next government must make a plan to tackle this problem, making sure that care workers get the pay and support they deserve to stay in the sector.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Bring home disabled people living in hospitals\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are over 2,000 people living in hospitals because they are autistic or have learning disabilities, according to NHS figures from January 2024<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t right. A hospital is not a home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next UK government must prioritise giving these people the support they need to live in their communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Simplify the law around children\u2019s social care<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The law surrounding disabled children\u2019s social care is too complicated. Many families find it tricky to understand what support their child is entitled to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Families should know their rights, and local authorities should know what is legally required of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the current system, there is too much variation between different regions of the UK, as laws are interpreted differently in different areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next government must simplify the legal framework for disabled children\u2019s social care, allowing families to access the support they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Give carers of disabled children a break<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Right now, more than 65% of carers cay they are burnt out or exhausted. Two thirds of parents of children with complex disabilities say they can\u2019t access the short breaks they need from caring.”<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Carers of disabled children do an incredible job, but providing round-the-clock care without any breaks is exhausting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now, more than 65% of carers say they are burnt out or exhausted<\/a>. Two thirds of parents of children with complex disabilities say they can\u2019t access the short breaks<\/a> they need from caring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next UK government must recognise the importance of respite care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means making sure that carers of disabled children across the UK are able to access short breaks via their local authorities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n\n

Read our plan for change<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We have seven key recommendations to make sure the next UK government prioritises disabled people.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

\n Find out more<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is what we believe the next UK government must urgently do to fix the social care crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":15966,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"display_author":[],"class_list":["post-52610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52610"},{"taxonomy":"display_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/display_author?post=52610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}