The new Social Care strategy - that’s clear then…

Ah yes, the reform of social care.

I had been under the impression that this had been done already - reference a certain speech on September 7th, 2022, by a now ex Prime Minister (no, not that one, the one before that), but alas no. Clearly I was confused. It does happen.

Still not to worry, at least the Governments “Build back better: Our Plan for Health and Social Care”policy paper is a (genuinely) good step forward. Some of the more sceptical amongst you might ask how this will be funded or whether the rhetoric is nothing more than just that… again. Well, rest assured that this has been thought about, and is addressed in the paper itself: “The Government will introduce a UK-wide 1.25 percent Health and Social Care Levy based on National Insurance contributions (NICs) ringfenced to fund the investment in health and social care set out in this plan.”

Ah, I see what’s happened there.

Now, just to be clear, my motivation in writing this is not politically driven or to be at the detriment of any given party or ideology. On the one hand, the mere fact that a plan has been put forward should be seen as a positive move. That in and of itself is a good thing. The need has been obvious for many years, and it could therefore be argued that it should have happened a long, long, time ago. Equally, cash alone will not solve this, and even a ten-year plan might not do it either. To do it properly is to remove it from the political system entirely, land on a strategy that will not be beholden to parliamentary terms or governmental ideology, and another white paper and or another local partnership rebrand , but instead run as a stand alone strategy over a 30-year period – maybe more, and linked to wider, societal drivers.

Of the 3D’s I refer to in my book, it looks like the first D - the debate – has happened (and a few times as well). The second D – the decision – has (sort of) happened, but the third D – the delivery – has not. More worryingly, it feels like the dreaded 4th D – deliberate and delay – is making its presence felt.

One thing is for sure: if that 4th D wins the day, we’ve got a problem. It’s a little like taking your car to a garage to tell them your tyres look worn, only to be told nothing can be done now and you should come back when you’ve slipped off the road.