Commons Health Committee launches inquiry into Social care

• Inquiry: Social Care
• Health Committee

The Coalition Agreement recognised the "urgency of reforming the system of social care" and the Government moved quickly to establish the Dilnot Commission with a brief to produce recommendations for the future funding of long term care.

The Government has also pledged to break down the barriers between health and social care, roll out personal budgets and to use direct payments to carers to improve respite care.

In parallel with the above developments the Law Commission published a report which makes far-reaching recommendations about the statutory framework for the commissioning and provision of social care.

The Government has committed itself to consider these proposals in discussion with all stakeholders during the Autumn of 2011 and has promised a White Paper on social care in 2012. It has indicated that legislative follow-up is likely in the next session of Parliament.

The issues

The purpose of this inquiry is to consider the issues facing the government as it prepares its Social Care White Paper, and make recommendations for consideration by the Government before the White Paper is published. The inquiry will focus on adult social care, particularly of those people of 65 years of age and older. The Committee will consider, amongst other issues:

• The practical and policy implications of the Government’s plans for funding social care, and the recommendations made by the Dilnot Commission and the Law Commission
• The scale and implications of existing variation in access to and charges for social care in England
• The practical and policy implications of the Government’s commitment to promote personalisation of social care, including personal budgets and direct payments
• The barriers faced by recipients of social care when they wish to relocate to another area, particularly with regard to the portability of assessments
• Economic regulation of the social care system including a proportionate failure regime that can mitigate against the failure of social care providers
• The practical and policy implications of the Government’s stated commitment to promote integration between health and social care services

The deadline for submitting written evidence is midday on Wednesday 26 October 2011.

• Guidance on submitting written evidence to a Health Committee inquiry