Marie Curie Wales response to independent report on social care funding

 

Marie Curie Wales response to Welsh Government commissioned independent report by Professor Gerald Holtham on how social care could be paid for in Wales.

“We welcome today’s report looking at long-term funding for social care in Wales, highlighting how growing pressures on social care are creating a system which cannot hope to meet the needs of everyone who needs support.  

"This report comes after MPs said a new tax for people aged over 40 in England should be introduced to help pay for elderly care there.

“There is an ageing population in Wales, and by 2030 there will be around 75,000 more people over the age of 85, many living with multiple and chronic conditions who will need care.

“Fixing social care will require bold solutions, and we are pleased to see that the report has not shied away from them. The report’s recommendation to institute a contributory social care element of income tax, with rates dependant on age group, stands out as a way to provide the system with a much-needed boost while protecting less well-off people from bearing the brunt of taxes.

“It is clear that the Welsh Government needs to take action to resolve the social care crisis sooner rather than later.

“Earlier this year, we published figured which showed there were 51,000 emergency admissions for people in the last year of their life in Wales in 2016, costing the NHS £194 million and amounting to around  872,000 days in hospital. 

"Good social care access, from a properly resourced service, leads to a much better quality of life for people at the end of their lives – and helps the health system avoid such unnecessary hospital stays for people with a terminal illness. 

“We look forward to seeing how the Welsh Government will use this report to influence future plans for social care, and avoid hospital admissions which can cause stress for patients and their families at an already distressing time.”