A fairer future

This publication is the third in a series of LGA papers on the future of social care and support. The first paper, Our lives, our choices, set out our initial thoughts and explored how a simplified, locally-based system of care and support could address a number of the challenges which make the current system unsustainable. The second paper, Facing facts and tomorrow's reality today: the cost of care looked in more detail at the current system of adult care funding, the current and future costs of care and support, and ways in which councils, working with partners, are doing their best to make the most of available resources. In advance of the government's much anticipated Green Paper on care and support reform this publication, A fairer future, sets out our proposals for what a reformed system of adult social care and support should look like. In summary we believe a future system of care and support should be based on:

A clear system of care: successful reform of adult care and support requires recognition of the issues facing the current system. We believe these can be summarised as the system being unfair, unclear and underfunded. Additionally, the public is, to varying degrees, unaware of what they can expect. While the global economic situation is placing reform of public services under greater uncertainty and scrutiny, it also gives this debate an added clarity since affordability and forward planning become more important.

Fair funding: at the heart of reform must be a fairer and more realistic funding settlement for adult care and support. Any new arrangements must recognise the contribution local taxation and the benefit system already makes to funding adult care and support, and consider the potential contribution from the NHS. A new settlement must also reflect the resources available to different members of society both now and in the future.

Fair access: we believe in a balance between national minimum standards and local flexibility. We therefore propose a single, transferable assessment of needs and means that would be recognised in every part of the country. The services to meet those needs would be decided locally with the individual to reflect personal preferences and local resources.

A fair minimum standard: we must provide a minimum level of support for everybody – so that everyone knows where to get good, independent advice about their future – that includes services that can help individuals remain at home and avoid the need for admission to a care or nursing home. This is about a shift of emphasis from crisis to prevention.

A fair focus on councils: councils, often working with partner organisations, are already leading the transformation of care and support with innovative approaches to service design and delivery. The local government sector therefore needs the space and support to lead wider reform and draw together the disparate parts of the current system into a simpler, locally accessible, system. This will help the identification of every issue, barrier and solution that will be an essential part of change.