Maria Mills, Chief Executive of Active Prospects, has shared her priorities for the future of adult social care in the latest edition of Care Talk magazine.
Maria was asked what she would say if she had five minutes with Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Her response was published alongside contributions from other leaders across the social care sector.
Her message was clear:
“If I had five minutes with the Prime Minister, I would ask for one commitment: deliver a sustainable, long-term funding settlement for adult social care that matches the actual cost of providing high-quality support.
That means urgent, ring-fenced funding for local authorities now, followed by a fair national funding and commissioning framework that values people properly, rather than focusing on hours of care delivered.
In particular, targeted investment in the VCSE sector is vital to get those with learning disabilities and autistic people out of hospitals and into accommodation where they can live independently and with dignity.
Without this foundation, ambitions around workforce pay, prevention, neighbourhood health and better outcomes for people will remain out of reach.
Taking social care seriously is essential to creating a healthier and fairer public service for everyone, and I would urge the Prime Minister to back up his words around social care with action.”
Maria’s contribution reflects Active Prospects’ call for social care to receive the long-term investment needed to deliver better outcomes for people.
