Supporting... Health for Care campaign

Parliamentary Candidate David Kendall said: "I am pleased to support the Health for Care campaign to #FixSocialCare

Seven Key Principles are needed for a new social care system in England:

1. Sharing costs: A system providing the care people need - free at the point of use - should be funded by universal and compulsory financial contributions. This may require differences in when, how, and how much people pay towards the care system.
2. Fair eligibility: Eligibility should be based on need and must be widened to ensure that those of any age with unmet or under-met need have access to appropriate support. Eligibility must also guarantee parity of esteem across physical, mental and cognitive health.Improving integration: Health and care services should be designed to work more effectively together, with personalised care and prevention at the heart of both
   services. Health and care services should deliver treatment and care at the right time and place and guarantee maximum personal control to the recipients of care.
3. Sustainability: Establishing a sustainable social care system will require closing the existing funding gap in the short term, as well as establishing a permanent funding settlement that would enable both members of the public and care providers to plan for their long-term future. Levels of funding should also sustain a diverse and stable market of providers.
4. Valuing the workforce: More workers should be recruited to, and retained within, the care sector. Furthermore, those who work within the care sector should be offered increased pay, higher quality training (along with the protected time away from work to undertake training), opportunities for career progression, and new career paths.
5. Supporting carers: Unpaid carers should be eligible for increased support from the state. Additionally, offers of care should not be reduced on the basis
   that someone may be a recipient or possible recipient of informal care.
6. Accessibility: The criteria and assessment process for receiving state-funded care should be simple enough for everyone to understand, with guidance on
   offers of care to be made widely available. In addition, assessments of individuals' care needs should be conducted by appropriately-trained assessors.