1/ Beware the debate on Social Care:
I fear the #SocialCare debate is going the way of the Brexit debate. A binary choice between two polar opposites with nothing in between. In this case raise Nat Ins or don't. Already the debate on the media is between these two points.
I fear the #SocialCare debate is going the way of the Brexit debate. A binary choice between two polar opposites with nothing in between. In this case raise Nat Ins or don't. Already the debate on the media is between these two points.
2/ There is very limited to no discussion on:
- The bigger issues: what sort of model of social care do we want in the 21st century?
- The bigger issues: what sort of model of social care do we want in the 21st century?
3/ What is the best way to structure social care, the balance between private and public, between in home and residential home care, between council responsibilities and the government's and why shouldn't social care be structured like the NHS?
4/ - All the current practical problems: things are far from ok, any new money won't go to improvement it will go fixing on problems.
5/ Some of these are deep rooted and not easily fixed with a bit of cash; e.g staff vacancies and turnover, the fragile financial base of many care home providers and the cumulative effect of years of cuts.
6/ - The detail: The additional money that maybe raised is said tone c.£10 to £12 billion. The current NHS budget is £212billion (inc £60 billion for COVID). Even £12 billion is just over 5%, less RPI inflation that's about 3% net. 3% for both NHS and social care.
7/ Even then, the plan is for the increase to be phased NHS first then social care.
Johnson's social care plan like his Brexit plan is therefore a partial solution that barely touches the major issues involved and flies in the face of what the problems are.
Johnson's social care plan like his Brexit plan is therefore a partial solution that barely touches the major issues involved and flies in the face of what the problems are.
8/ This is no tough choice, it's a cop out to do as little as possible to milk for as much political advantage as possible. Both the media and the opposition are playing along with this. They keep the focus on the false binary choice and offer no debate on the alternatives.
9/ Brexit and COVID have shown what happens when Johnson and the Tories are allowed to set the agenda. We end up with poor choices and with a whole new set of problems yet Johnson is the hero who made "tough choices". We need the media and opposition to do much better .
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