MPs push Theresa May to keep long-term social care vow
Pressure grows on Prime Minister Theresa May to fix Britain's crisis-hit social care sector, as MPs push for a cross-party review.
Friday 6 January 2017 03:37, UK
Senior MPs have called on the Prime Minister to honour a pledge she made just days before Christmas to find a long-term solution to Britain's social care crisis.
Appearing before the Liaison Committee, made up of MPs who chair select committees, Theresa May said she was determined to ensure a sustainable system for the future.
And now three of the select committee chairs - one Conservative and two Labour - have written to the PM urging her to set up a cross-party review of the health and social care systems.
The MPs are Tory Sarah Wollaston of the Health Committee, Labour's Meg Hillier of the Public Accounts Committee and the Communities and Local Government Committee's Labour chair, Clive Betts.
They want Mrs May to invite all parties to take part in an urgent review taking in funding of both social care and the NHS in time for an agreed approach in the next Government spending round.
Last month the Communities Secretary Sajid Javid announced that for the next two years to fund social care bills. But council leaders have said they need more Government cash.
In their letter, the MPs told Mrs May: "We were encouraged by your recognition at the Liaison Committee that everyone has a part to play in finding a sustainable way of ensuring social care provision in the future.
"You also accepted the need for a review to find a way of funding social care sustainably for the long term.
"We believe that can best be achieved if there is cross-party consensus, and therefore urge you to invite all parties to become involved in a review, which should begin as soon as possible.
"Given the scale of rising demand, this immense challenge will face whichever party is in government over the coming decades."
The MPs add: "The ongoing separation of health and social care is creating difficulties for individuals and avoidable barriers and inefficiencies. Any review should cover the two systems."
When she appeared before the Liaison Committee, Mrs May said previous governments had ducked the issue and it would be "for everybody to contribute and to be part of that decision".
But on the MPs' claims that a cross-party review was the best way forward, the PM told Dr Wollaston, a former full-time GP: "Past experience does not suggest that that is the case."
Responding to the letter, a Government spokeswoman said: "We recognise the pressures of an ageing population which is why we recently announced almost £900m of additional funding for adult social care over the next two years.
"But, as the Prime Minister has made clear, this is not solely about money. That is why we are working to find a long-term, sustainable solution which helps local authorities learn from each other to raise standards across the whole system."