The Labour Government is being urged to consider introducing a new "health and social care levy" to address the "crisis" inflicting adult social care in Britain.
A new study is demanding the complete overhaul of Britain's care system, proposing to eliminate council-run services and establish a unified national framework for adult social care.
Analysis from the Social Care Foundation, penned by former Conservative deputy prime minister Damian Green, presents 35 transformative recommendations aimed at rescuing a sector the report claims has been abandoned by politicians for decades.
The document, titled "Who Cares? Solutions for the Social Care Review," targets the Independent Commission into Adult Social Care led by Baroness Louise Casey with proposals for fundamental restructuring of care funding, delivery mechanisms and healthcare integration.
Experts are calling for 'radical' reform to the social system
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Among the proposals put forward include to address this issue include a health and care Levy, as well as the introduction of a more individual solution with a pension-style Care Supplement with insurance premiums paid either through long-term savings or a lump sum at the end of one’s career.
Notably, the Foundation called for the end of social care being administered through councils with a National Care System being an option instead.
The UK-wide think tank's intervention comes as Britain faces mounting pressure to address what Mr Green characterises as an escalating emergency in care provision.
Housing policy would face major changes, with the document calling for a "massive" expansion in accommodation suitable for older residents and tougher planning requirements to address demographic shifts.
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Damian Green is calling for action
| GB NewsAdditional proposals include appointing an elder care commissioner to drive reforms and launching a national "My Care" digital platform to simplify system navigation for families seeking support.
Mr Green, who chairs the Social Care Foundation, shared: Social care cannot wait years for a solution to its crisis. It needs radical change in the way it is funded, the way it works with the NHS, the way it uses technology and the way its workforce is valued. These changes need to come quickly," he states in the report's foreword.
The former deputy prime minister contends that both Conservative and Labour administrations have trapped the sector "in limbo" while Britain faces a deteriorating situation it can no longer neglect.
He emphasised that reform must extend beyond incremental adjustments, arguing that decades of governmental attempts to address care challenges have produced no substantial improvements.
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Research from The Health Foundation indicates that simply maintaining current service levels while meeting rising demand would require an extra £3.4billion by 2028/29, climbing to £9.1billion by 2034/35.
Expanding access to provide approximately 90,000 additional care packages would push costs to £6.4billion extra by 2028/29 and £12.7billion by 2034/35.
The most comprehensive option, which includes raising care worker wages to match NHS Band 3 levels alongside expanded access, would demand £8.7billion in additional funding by 2028/29, reaching £15.4billion by 2034/35, necessitating annual budget increases of 4.5 percent in real terms.
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| PAIndustry leaders have rallied behind the foundation's proposals, viewing them as actionable solutions rather than theoretical concepts.
Dr Robert D. Kilgour, the foundation's founder, emphasises that the document represents "a blueprint for meaningful reform" containing "practical, evidence-based solutions that can be implemented now to build a fairer, more sustainable system."
Professor Martin Green OBE, who leads Care England, describes the recommendations as providing "a route map for the long-term sustainability of social care," expressing optimism that both the government and Baroness Casey will embrace the proposals as foundational policy guidance.
Sam Monaghan from Methodist Homes, Britain's largest charitable care provider, highlights how the recommendations address "the lived realities of those who draw on care and those who deliver it," urging politicians to respond with "urgency and ambition."