Statement from Carers UK

[Matt Hill]

Statement released today about social care being used as political football.

http://www.carersuk.org/Newsandcampaign ... caredebate

[quote]Carers UK says social care debate must not be ‘drowned out’ by party political electioneering

10th February 2010

Carers UK Chief Executive Imelda Redmond CBE said:

“The reform of social care is one of the greatest challenges our society faces in the 21st century. Our care system is crumbling as it struggles to cope with an ageing population and people living longer with disability.

Difficult decisions need to be made on how to fund the vital changes needed to deliver a fair, transparent and sustainable care system for the future. That requires a mature and sensible debate on how we face the care challenge as a society.

This crucial debate must not be drowned out by media soundbites and electioneering. It is particularly disappointing to see these difficult issues reduced to slogans and posters, and for care of older people to be associated with negative images of gravestones.

The carers and families we represent are struggling now and desperately need decent services and support. They will not accept social care becoming a party political football.

Carers UK look forward to the publication of the White Paper on Care and Support and we urge all political parties to enter into a considered and grown-up debate on this most profound of challenges.â€

[Matt Hill]

This is the poster referred to
http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/arch ... 83884a.jpg

Times article about the background to this with quote from Imelda Redmond

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/p ... 021844.ece

Secret truce on care plans exploded by Tory poster
Secret talks to create a truce between the parties over long term care for the elderly was blown apart today after the Tories launched a poster featuring a gravestone attacking Labour proposals. Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, had been negotiating with his Labour counterpart, the Prime Minister revealed today.

The Times understands that discussions about finding a consensus on the issue have been going since November. Mr Burnham, the Health Secretary, confirmed he had been taking part in the talks on the basis that Mr Lansley stopped suggesting that Labour would get rid of the disability allowance - an allegation they deny.

[rosemary]

copying these over then will lock other thread Matt

Carers UK and Age Concern and Help the Aged condemn parties for turning care into 'political football'

Carers UK chief executive Imelda Redmond directly criticised the Tories' use of a gravestone in its "death tax" attack on the government.

"This crucial debate must not be drowned out by media soundbites and electioneering," Redmond said. "It is particularly disappointing to see these difficult issues reduced to slogans and posters, and for care of older people to be associated with negative images of gravestones."

Michelle Miller, Age Concern and Help the Aged's charity director, said social care reform should not become a "political football" and called for the parties to devise "long-term solutions".

[rosemary]

Evening Standard blogs

An email from Carers UK has just popped into my inbox. It quotes Chief Executive Imelda Redmond CBE saying:

"This crucial debate must not be drowned out by media soundbites and electioneering. It is particularly disappointing to see these difficult issues reduced to slogans and posters, and for care of older people to be associated with negative of gravestones.

"The carers and families we represent are struggling now and desperately need decent services and support. They will not accept social care becoming a party political football."

[g.herschel]

How can the Labour party deny that they will not remove the D.L.A. or A.A. when it is there in black and white, if / when the D.L.A. or A.A is removed from the over 65`s they will receive the same level of cash support from the local authority via social services, those who have either D.L.A. or A.A. will not requier a care plan to be set in place, the Labour minister ANDY BURNHAM is playing with the lives of carers the disabled and their families he is saying because they elderly over 65`s will still be entitled to the same level of cash support the allowance is " safe " but in what form, it will not be cash it will be some care at home system home help or whatever and for the average allowance of £50 per week what will we get 2 hours worth of work per week it is all about cost cutting and i for one even though i aint a tory welcome the tories support for this non means tested universal benefit that is probably the first direct payment of it`s kind .....

The Labour party have had 13 years to sort this mess out the Tories before them could have done it Labour are looking for the BIG HEADLINE as usual yet we as carers will have to wait till 2018 to be out of poverty look at the plans from Labour.
VOTE WINNERS I DOUBT IT BUT THATS WHAT THEY THINK
1- free personal care for some 400-000 people within their own home- this will enable them to remain at home and delay the day when they need to enter residential social care 6 hours a week no way will it work, under funded and will result in other services being removed ...within the free care at home some 140-000 will be entitled care as long as this is their first claim for care at home they will receive the first 6 weeks free (aint that what happens now)
2. national care service to help the elderly disabled this will again provide care for some 2,3,4, million who need help at home may with D.L.A. / A.A. will "give up their benefitys" to fund this scheme but dont worry the mobey you give up will be handed back through social services but will it be cash??
3. residential social care - you can keep the house but if you need care we want £25-000 or take out an insurance policy or pay out of your estate on death but tax rises are a non starter
4. end of life care for 1.6 million on a one 2 one basis care will be provided by specialist nurses well thats at least 1.6 million of the dole and if it is one 2 one care could be another 3 million employed as specialist nurses .

the funding for all this is one jopke they are playing with our future the issue of social care is to important for this knd of c*** from Labour and Tory just stop the arguing tell us what you want to do and let us decide in MAY =X marks the spot=

[g.herschel]

The truth will out ..


It looks like the tories wanted to do a deal with Labour over the new national care service the only problem was the funding of this care service, Labour have said that it "may" be funded by the removal of both Disability living allowance & the Attendence allowance to me it looks as though the Tories wanted an asssurance that the D.L.A.& A.A. were not to be removed and the Labour health minister cant give that assurance ( the allowances will be removed ) the Tories called a halt to secret talks which by the way i disagree with if ANDY BURNHAM and others wanted "talks" they should be talking to those of us who will have to live with what ever the idiots come up with ANDY BURNHAM as the proud mother would say on the passing out parade" look father our ANDY is the only one in step" ........

please dont get confused with the FREE PERSONAL CARE AT HOME that is funded or they hope it will be by the N.H.S 400 million £`s and local authority 300 million £`s .

and residential social care that will be funded by some fat guy think he`s called father christmas

and the care for the 1.6 million end of life cancer patients that will be funded by err funded by well your guess is as good as mine ..

[g.herschel]

the grave stone photo is wrong but if you vote tory we only want £8-000 when you pass away .

[Sam_B]

Our CEO Carole has written a letter published in the Times today
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 022308.ece

Sir, The Personal Care at Home Bill (report, Feb 10) could help a small number of people but it would be tragic if the noise of debate about this limited offer got in the way of the promised White Paper on social care, originally due any day now. Most social care is not delivered by any branch of government, but by the UK’s six million unpaid family carers. They were promised a White Paper that would make a real difference to their ability to carry on caring, free from the poverty and ill health that too many suffer.

No party has yet made them a serious offer; six million voters will be watching the quality of the current debate on their futures with dismay.

Carole Cochrane
Chief Executive, The Princess Royal Trust for Carers

[Matt Hill]

The Bill may help a relatively small number of people, but it establishes an important principle and that is why Carers UK is backing the Bill. Carers have told us over many years that they want an end to means testing and charging. The Bill provides a historic opportunity to take us further down that road.

We cannot stop there. as our Its time for carers campaign calls for we need a radical reform of social care, backed up by significant investment. http://www.carersuk.org/Newsandcampaigns/Itstime

[g.herschel]

The last bill to be pushed through parliament with a government on it`s death bed was the brit rail privitisation and look at the cock up we had with that bill if Labour are allowed to push this bill through at the fag end of a government we the carers and our caree`s will pay a heavy price just to give Gordon the chance of re-election come on Gordon wake up i would rather wait an extra 2 years and get the social care / welfare refom done properly then have it forced upon us it`s a vote loser you clown .