New social care tax ‘must be introduced to help pump billions into crisis-hit care homes’
NHS chief Simon Stevens said care homes 'must be at the front of the queue' for extra cash and warns Government may need to introduce compulsory insurance
THE case for pumping billions extra into crisis-hit social care is unarguable, warns the head of the NHS.
Simon Stevens said care homes must be at the front of the queue for extra cash.
And he warned the Government may need to introduce a new social care tax or compulsory insurance.
Ministers are already considering hiking council tax seven per cent to look after the elderly and disabled.
It comes as fewer people who need assistance to wash, dress and eat are getting such help — despite growing numbers of old folk.
Councils have seen their budgets slashed by 40 per cent over five years.
And they claim they will need an extra £2.6billion to provide care for the elderly and disabled by 2020.
Speaking to a House of Lords committee on health funding, Mr Stevens warned lack of social care provision is the biggest crisis facing the health service.
He said there is a “very strong case for some immediate support now”.
Mr Stevens told the NHS Sustainability committee: “Social care should be front of the queue. The knock-on consequences of deteriorating social care funding, not only for vulnerable people, but also in hospitals, is now unarguable.”
He said it may be time to look at “social insurance or mandatory long-term care coverage”.
Mr Stevens also warned peers that fat people pose a huge threat to the NHS. Lord McColl called obesity the worst epidemic for 97 years.
He said: “The trouble is Department of Health advice is still talking about diet and exercise. Exercise is good for other things, but not for reducing obesity.”
Mr Stevens said: “We’re not going to deal with obesity simply by arguing for greater exercise. We have got to change dietary intake.”