Matt Hancock faces heat over delays to social care reform

Matt Hancock faces the heat over delays to social care reform as it emerges the plans will not be published for months

  • He unveiled White Paper on greater integration of NHS and social care 
  • Funding proposals – promised by PM more than 18 months ago – not included 
  • Sir Andrew Dilnot said he was disappointed ministers had put off reforms again
  • He came up with idea of a cap on amount people have to pay for their care 

Matt Hancock was accused of dilly-dallying over vital social care reform yesterday as he confirmed Boris Johnson’s long-awaited plans would not be published until later in the year.

The Health Secretary unveiled a White Paper on the greater integration of NHS and social care in England.

But proposals on the funding of care – promised by the Prime Minister more than 18 months ago – were not included, amid indications they would not be revealed until the autumn at the earliest. 

Last night Sir Andrew Dilnot, the economist who a decade ago came up with the idea of a cap on the amount people have to pay for their care, said he was disappointed ministers had put off reforms yet again.

Matt Hancock was accused of dilly-dallying over vital social care reform yesterday as he confirmed Boris Johnson’s long-awaited plans would not be published until later in the year

‘It’s absolutely clear what we should do. We’ve been dilly-dallying for far too long about this,’ he said.

Tory former care minister Sir Alistair Burt demanded billions to pay care workers better, saying the pandemic had shown the money could be found.

Mr Hancock unveiled new powers to block unpopular hospital closures, combat obesity and tackle red tape in the NHS. 

The White Paper includes moves to integrate health and social care to make it easier to discharge elderly people from hospital and to support them living at home.

Mr Hancock told the Commons: ‘Given an ageing population with more complex needs, these proposals will make it easier for clinicians, carers and public health experts to achieve what they already work hard to do: operate seamlessly across health and care, without being split into artificial silos that keep them apart.’

But shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth said: ‘We need a sustainable social care plan. We were promised one on the steps of Downing Street and we still do not have one.’

The Health Secretary unveiled a White Paper on the greater integration of NHS and social care in England. But proposals on the funding of care ¿ promised by the Prime Minister more than 18 months ago ¿ were not included, amid indications they would not be revealed until the autumn at the earliest

The Health Secretary unveiled a White Paper on the greater integration of NHS and social care in England. But proposals on the funding of care – promised by the Prime Minister more than 18 months ago – were not included, amid indications they would not be revealed until the autumn at the earliest

Asked when the full reforms would be, Mr Hancock said that ‘the Prime Minister has committed to bring those forward this calendar year’.

The delay was criticised by Sir Andrew, who in 2011 proposed a cap on the cost of social care, which he believes should now be £45,000, that no one should pay above.

‘This has been going on for too long. We need action and we need it now,’ he said. ‘It’s all too easy for social care to slip back into the shadows once the most acute phase of the Covid crisis is over.

‘We need to recognise that the social care system that we have at the moment, despite the wonderful work done by our carers, is not adequate. 

‘It’s not something that we, as a nation, can be proud of, because we’re not putting enough resources into it. We all need to make as much noise as we possibly can.’