NHS leaders will welcome Prime Minister's commitment on social care

Responding to the Prime Minister's announcement of a Big Conversation on Care, Sir Ciarán Devane, chief executive of The NHS Alliance said:

“NHS leaders will welcome the commitment and priority the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has placed on addressing the long standing and difficult issue of social care provision in England.

“There is no doubt that the impact of a disparate social care system, years in the making and currently buckling under the weight of demand is felt in terms of both delays and increased demand across the NHS. Social care must be put on an equal footing with the health service so people get the support they need to keep them at home and out of hospital.

“Health service leaders will do all they can to help make any reform of the social care system a success. However those changes must focus on prevention and delivering better outcomes for people, rather than simply to manage pressures elsewhere in the system.

“If this time we are to succeed where others have failed, strong relationships and local leadership are critical but they must be supported by a clear set of government policies, ideally with cross-party support.

“The end goal here should not be about organisational restructuring but about creating a system that helps more people live healthier, more independent lives in their homes and local communities.”