Ceretas News
Politics and the Care Conundrum: why does England have a problem funding social care?
A new discussion paper from the Strategic Society Centre has been launched looking at the underlying political causes of England's persistent problems with funding social care: Politics and the Care Conundrum: Why does England have a problem funding social care?
The paper sets out the conundrum at the heart of the care system: why would an apparently wealthy country tolerate a care system consistently described as being 'in crisis'?
To explore this, the report reaches into a 'toolbox' of ideas and theories from political science, highlighting multiple issues, such as:
- The varied, indefinable? nature of social care
- The illogical, complex mess? of institutions overseeing social care policy
- Public ignorance of what social care is and what outcomes represent quality
The paper argues that until these issues are addressed, any boost to public spending on social care resulting from lobbying by campaigners is likely to prove a temporary fillip.
As a practical response, the paper calls for the creation of an Office for Care and Living - built on the precedent of the Office for Budget Responsibility - which would undertake a number of strategic functions such as public education and data provision, in order to address the apparent failure of democratic accountability alone to ensure a properly funded social care system.
In the context of the 2012 White Paper on social care, the paper argues that despite voter disinterest in the topic, the government does nevertheless have an opportunity to reposition public and political discourse on care to create the conditions for sustainable long-term funding reform.