Lords Committee to Explore the Assumptions Underlying Adult Social Care
The House of Lords Adult Social Care Committee will tomorrow be holding two evidence sessions, as it continues its inquiry into the invisibility of adult social care.
The sessions will take place on Thursday 7 April and can be followed on Parliament TV.
Giving evidence at 10:30 AM will be:
• Sir Andrew Dilnot
Sir Andrew previously chaired the Commission on Funding of Care and Support, which published its findings in the ‘Fairer Care Funding’ report in 2011. During the session, the committee will explore the invisibility of the adult social care system, as well as discuss some of the assumptions that currently underlie adult social care in England.
Questions the committee is likely to ask include:
• The committee has heard repeatedly that adult social care is invisible, particularly in comparison to the NHS, which receives extensive coverage in politics and in the media. Is this the case and why?
• What can realistically be done to reduce invisibility, both of the adult social care system as a whole, and of the individuals who rely on adult social care?
• What changes could be made to increase the political pressure to reform the social care system?
• What, in addition to what has already been pledged by the Government, could improve the data that is available about adult social care? What would be the consequences of having better data?
Giving evidence at 11:25 AM will be:
• Ian Loynes, Chief Executive of Spectrum, Centre for Independent Living
• Kirsty Woodard, Founder and Director, Ageing Well Without Children
The committee will further explore the assumptions that underlie the adult social care system, including that older people will always have children willing, and able, to provide unpaid care, and that working-age adults want their family and friends to provide unpaid care.
Questions the committee is likely to ask include:
• What assumptions are made surrounding unpaid care, and how do these assumptions differ for younger adults and for older adults?
• What are the current options for people who are ageing without children and who have care needs? To what extent is the social care system prepared to extend these options as demographic trends unfold and the number of people ageing without children increases?
• Are there any current innovative models of care that can be seen as examples of good practice for adults with care needs who do not wish to draw on their friends and families for care and support?
• What is the importance of commissioning in enabling new models of care that free people who draw on care from the assumptions that are made about the availability of unpaid care?
