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Disability Alliance welcomes today's publication of the care and Support Green Paper - Shaping the Future of Care Together as an important reform of social care and support and look forward to working alongside Government and all the other stakeholders in bringing these plans into fruition.
In the 'conversation' and engagement process that followed the publication of The Case for Change we highlighted some key areas which the Green paper needed to focus on. These included Information provision; Choice and Personalisation; Fairness and transparency; Consistency in Assessments; and Advocacy and brokerage.
It is therefore pleasing to recognise that for disabled people many of these issues will be covered by the creation of a universally accessible National Care Service. One that is fair, simple and affordable for everyone, underpinned by national rights assessment and entitlements but personalised to individual needs, that will create a level playing field and end the postcode lottery of care services and which will include the right support to stay independent and well for as long as possible.
Dealing with the Paper as it concerns older people we welcome the fact that the Government has put forward three options for consideration. Under all three plans, the poorest will have their full care package paid for by the state and to prevent people losing their homes when they go into care, ministers proposed allowing people to defer the costs of residential care until their death when the bill would be taken from their estate.
While we agree that in developing the new system, there is a case for drawing some funding streams together to enable the delivery of new and better care and support systems. Before integrating disability benefits such as attendance allowance, into a simplified system, we must ensure that the future social care system retains and builds on the main advantages of the current disability benefits system in that disability benefits provide a non-means tested universal entitlement, which does not depend on where a person lives, together with a cash budget which can be spent on the services someone wants. Also as the care and support system is strengthened we must ensure that the valuable role carers play is fully recognised and supported.
The Government have invited stakeholders to participate in a four month consultation process - The Big Care Debate - and once the consultation has been completed, Government promise to use these responses to inform a White Paper on care and support to be published in 2010.The Government estimates it could be five years before anything proposed comes into effect, however, while recognising the reality of the current recession, it is vital that action is taken now, in 2009, to recognise and relieve the poverty and improving the living standards of disabled people and not wait for some promised improvement way down the line in 2015 or 2020.
While having a sustainable longer-term strategy is crucial, many disabled people will struggle to survive into 2010 unless some remedial action is taken to relieve the additional burdens that this recession is placing on many disabled and older people who are unable to access appropriate care and support and thus retain dignity and respect.
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