Tackling the social care crisis

Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the MS Society, talks about how the Society and other key charities are working to get the Government to tackle the care crisis

I’m delighted to have recently become the new Chair of the Care and Support Alliance. We’re now more than 50 charities campaigning together with one aim – to secure urgent reform to tackle the care crisis. Incidences of poverty, isolation and neglect are too common and our message is clear: now is the time to act.

What we’ve been doing

We’ve been campaigning fiercely behind the scenes for many years, meeting policy makers, and getting the voices of people with conditions like MS heard throughout repeated consultations on the issue.

This year, it’s time to get loud. This was the message from Andrew Dilnot, who led an important review of the social care funding system, when we met him at last year’s party conferences.

So last week, I joined more than 60 charities, faith groups and senior NHS figures in an open letter to the Prime Minister, which was widely reported – I was pleased to be able to share this message on prime time TV on BBC Breakfast.

It’s great that the media are finally waking up to our failing social care system and the need for reform, but with the government’s plans for reform due out in the spring, we need to work together to really up the ante. Over the coming months we’ll be working to engage more Parliamentarians and show the public demand for reform.

What you can do

1. Save the date for the Care and Support Alliance mass lobby on 6th March.
2. Tell us your experiences of social care by emailing us:

• Do you get the care and support you need?
• Have you had your services cut, suffered from rises in charges, or lost your home to pay for care? How has this affected you?
• How important is social care? Does it help you get out and about, stay employed, or avoid admission to hospital?