On 18 June 2021, 50 charities sent an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging him to keep his promise to amend and fix Britain’s broken social care system.
Charities including Ambitious about Autism, Guide Dogs, Carers UK, MS Society to Leonard Cheshire, Mencap and the MND Association – to name a few – have come together to call on the UK Government to support unpaid carers.
PROMISE
In 2019, on 24 July, the Prime Minister made a statement on the steps of 10 Downing Street that “we will fix the crisis in social care once and for all.”
As of 2 February 2021, it has been 539 days since the original promise was made, with no real changes or policy amendments made.
Now, after 700 days in office, CEO’s of 50 charities working to support everyone from carers to members of the disabled community are calling on the promise to be kept and real progress to be made to change the current situation in social care.
Since the promise has been made, two million requests for care have been turned down.
CALL TO ACTION
The open letter states: “During the pandemic tens of thousands died before their time in care homes from COVID-19.
“The best possible legacy we can give all those who have lost loved ones would be to ensure that we fix the care system so that a similar tragedy cannot happen again.”
Discussing media suggestions that a funding reform is expected, with a ‘cap’ on care reform, the letter continues: “Our view is that this would not be enough on its own to meet the promise you have made.
“To stay true to your word, you also need to do at least two additional things: first, invest significantly more money into councils’ social care budgets so everyone who needs care benefits; and secondly, ensure care staff get a fair rate of pay and the professional respect they deserve for the important work they do.”
The hashtag #KeepYourPromiseBoris has been created for people to call on the Prime Minister to put words into action.
You can read the full open-letter here.