Archbishops’ Care Commission report ‘welcomed’ but what next?

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby announced the report’s launch, observing wryly that ‘it was commissioned two prime ministers and four health secretaries ago!’ The launch event in London this morning attracted more than 150 people; from peers, local government directors of adult social services and charities, to many different disability rights groups.

The report was welcomed across the board, but as one charity director from south London said, ‘what next?’… and where is the money coming from to implement such proposals, or ‘are we just waiting for the next government.’

BRF issued a news release detailing the report’s main recommendations and Anna Chaplaincy’s response. Anna Chaplaincy pioneer, Debbie Thrower, praised its bold vision:

"Anna Chaplaincy welcomes the fresh thinking on this vitally important issue. The first step towards improvement is always acknowledging what is wrong. The admission that the current system of social care is “broken” echoes what’s been said by successive governments for three decades. I hope very much that those with power to change the way social care operates will rise to the challenge of the complete “redesign” of the system outlined in this report," Debbie said.

" Much careful thought has gone into exploring those Christian principles underpinning the vision for a far more humane system. We can’t afford not to make social care more efficient from top to bottom because every citizen in time stands to benefit and each one of us will be impoverished if, yet again, the opportunity for far-reaching reform slips by."

This is an excerpt from the Anna Chaplaincy blog here.