Following the publication of the Times Health Commission Report, Homecare Association CEO, Dr Jane Townson OBE said:
“The Homecare Association welcomes the recommendations of the Times Health Commission, which is a clarion call for immediate and decisive action to improve the nation’s health.
We have long said it makes little sense to neglect people in the community until they need emergency or acute hospital care, and then pour billions into crisis management of hospitals.
The Homecare Association therefore agrees with the commission’s core principles for reform: shifting focus from hospital-centric care to prevention and community care, integrating social care reform because of the aging population, and leveraging technology to personalise, predict and act proactively to support health and well-being.
We endorse the call for a care system that ensures timely and tailored support, administered locally but adhering to national guidelines. The recognition of care workers' value through better pay and career progression is a step in the right direction towards parity with equivalent NHS staff. We agree with the need to develop a social care workforce plan aligned with the NHS people plan, though remain to be convinced that a single NHS and social care plan is the answer, given that there are 18,000 independent employers in social care, with 39,000 locations. There are, however, opportunities for multidisciplinary working across health and care in neighbourhoods, which could help create a more cohesive approach to meeting the needs of individuals.
Technology solutions have the potential to revolutionise the way we support people at home before they even need care and beyond. Current practices in commissioning and purchase of homecare, which measure minutes rather than outcomes, limit the ability of providers to innovate. It is also difficult for individual providers to develop a case for investment, when fee rates for state-funded care are too low and benefits may accrue elsewhere in the system. Managing and responding to data and alerts from devices and sensors is also a challenge to overcome. An alert to say someone has fallen is useful only if someone is available to pick them up. GPs are too busy to cope with continuous monitoring of vital signs at scale in a population, so who will manage the data and respond?
Paying for care is a key problem to be solved, but we need to view charging reform as an enabler rather than the centrepiece of reform proposals. Successive governments have wasted years arguing about charging mechanisms whilst avoiding preparation for the demographic shifts that will affect society profoundly. As the commission’s report lays bare, there are many wider issues in social care to address.
Social care cannot afford further delays in investment or reform. The time for action is now. We call upon all political parties to commit to these recommendations and to work collaboratively to implement them swiftly. Older and disabled people, their families, and the dedicated care workforce deserve nothing less.
The Homecare Association will continue to work with the government, local authorities, the NHS, and other partners and stakeholders to ensure that the vision outlined in this report becomes a reality. Homecare plays a vital role in enabling us all to live well at home and flourish in our communities. Investing in homecare helps to enhance wellbeing; increase healthy life expectancy; reduce pressure on the NHS; and save money for the health and care system”.
--ENDS--