SIGNIFICANT investment announced to support disabled and elderly residents in Thurrock, as Government sets out adult social care reforms.
People with disabilities in Thurrock will be supported to remain in their homes thanks to immediate action that government is taking to improve adult social care, support the care workforce and take pressure off the NHS, the government has announced today (Friday 3 January).
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting will confirm a funding boost of nearly £200,000 for Thurrock Council as part of an £86 million uplift to the Disabled Facilities Grant for this financial year.
Care workers across Essex will be better supported to take on further duties to deliver health interventions, such as blood pressure checks, meaning people in Thurrock can receive more routine checks and care at home without needing to travel to healthcare settings. The national career structure for care staff will also be expanded, ensuring there are opportunities for career progression and development pathways.
Alongside immediate steps to ease pressure on the sector and improve support for care workers, the government is also kickstarting work on the necessary long-term reform to overhaul social care. This will include the creation of a National Care Service underpinned by national standards, delivering consistency of care across the country.
As a first step, the government will launch an independent commission into adult social care to inform the work needed to deliver this. The commission, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey and reporting to the Prime Minister, will work with people drawing on care and support, families, staff, politicians and the public, private and third sector to make clear recommendations for how to rebuild the adult social care system to meet the current and future needs of the population.
Jen Craft, MP for Thurrock, said:
“This funding will be a vital boost to support those in our community who rely on social care services.
“In the election, I spoke to many residents in Thurrock who needed better care or were waiting to access these services. I promised them that a Labour Government would prioritise the investment and long-awaited reforms that adult social care desperately needed.
“This announcement is a step forward in delivering that promise, supporting people in Thurrock to live at home with the dignity, independence and quality of life that they deserve.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
“In the first six months of this government, work has already begun on stabilising the care sector, investing in prevention, and in carers and care workers. The investment and reforms we’re announcing today will help to modernise social care, get it working more closely with the NHS, and help deliver our Plan for Change.
“But our ageing society, with costs of care set to double in the next 20 years, demands longer term action.
“The independent commission will work to build a national consensus around a new National Care Service able to meet the needs of older and disabled people into the 21st century.
“I have written to opposition parties to invite them to take part in the commission’ work, and asked Baroness Louise Casey to build a cross-party consensus, to ensure the national care service survives governments of different shades, just as our NHS has for the past 76 years.
“We are appointing one of our country’s leading public service reformers, and Whitehall’s greatest do[1]er, to finally grasp the nettle on social care reform.”