Changes to the way social care is funded will be a difficult pill for many to swallow, the leader of Staffordshire County Council has said.
The Government has outlined plans to introduce a new health and social care tax as part of proposed reforms to the sector.
Cllr Alan White, leader of Staffordshire County Council said the changes needed to ensure long-term challenges were addressed.
“While many people will welcome the cap on people’s contribution to their own care when they are elderly, the introduction of a health and care levy on working people will be a difficult pill for many to swallow.
“We need to see more detail of how these proposals will work – simply replacing the contribution of private individuals with funding from taxpayers will do nothing to address the challenges facing the social care sector, most critically the ability to recruit and retain staff.
“We need to understand the Government’s long-term plans to support a growing and ageing population to live as independently as possible, ideally in their own homes rather than relying on hospitals and care homes.
“This is an issue that existed long before Covid and which has been exacerbated by the pandemic.
“Local authorities are already seeing more people in need of care with a dwindling workforce able to provide it and the social care sector facing increasing pressures.”
Cllr Alan White, Staffordshire County Council
The new tax will begin as a 1.25% rise in National Insurance contributions from next April, before becoming a separate tax the following year.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the money raised would allow many of the issues facing the healthcare sector to be addressed.
“You can’t fix the Covid backlogs without giving the NHS the money it needs. You can’t fix the NHS without fixing social care. You can’t fix social care without removing the fear of losing everything to pay for social care and you can’t fix health and social care without long-term reform.”
Boris Johnson
