NPC calls for honest debate on National Care Service
Queen’s Speech delay on social care reform makes way for damaging Health & Care Bill
The National Pensioners’ Convention is disappointed but not surprised by the Government’s failure to outline its promised social care reforms in today’s Queen’s Speech (11 May 2021).
The NPC will be addressing the urgent need to transform the UK’s broken care system through a new National Care Service with acclaimed health care reformer Professor Sir Michael Marmot at our Virtual Annual Convention on Monday, 21 June 2021.*
NPC General Secretary Jan Shortt said: “The Government’s repeated commitment to bring forward proposals by the end of 2021 to ‘improve the adult social care system’ is we feel, something of a smoke screen that allows it to introduce its potentially damaging ‘Health and Care Bill’ for the NHS.
“The NPC believes in a fully funded National Care Service that runs alongside, and works in collaboration with the NHS, not a service, where the care sector is the poor relation, whose budgets can be swallowed up by the needs of an already struggling Health Service.
“It is time the government had an open and honest debate with the public on a National Care Service, funded by taxation, free at the point of need - and that they listened to the many voices of those organisations who have spoken out today on their fears over what will eventually be presented in place of what is actually needed. Yet another missed opportunity.”
*The 2021 NPC Annual Convention – formerly the Pensioners’ Parliament’ - will this year be a virtual event which held on four webinars over the month of June.
Speakers will include Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology & Public Health at University College London, and Director of The UCL Institute of Health Equity. Full details of the webinars covering topics such as Human Rights, Health and Social Care, Pensioner Poverty and the UK’s Unfair State Pension System, will take place on June 8, 18, 21, and 29.
Full details will be announced shortly – www.npcuk.org
ENDS
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