A New National Care Service
Nick at the opening of the Molineux Street health centre in Byker
Labour’s plans for a new National Care Service are a good start towards putting right a long-standing injustice. It’s not right that some older people should have to sell their homes to pay for care as they grow older.
The new plans are based on the same principles as the NHS. It will be a simple, fair and affordable care system – and one that is available to everyone. The first step is the Government’s Personal Care at Home Bill which goes through the Commons in the New Year. The Bill guarantees free personal care for the 280,000 people with the highest needs, including those with serious dementia or Parkinson’s disease, and will also help around 130,000 people who need home care for the first time to retain their independence.
The decade just past saw real improvements for young and old alike. Initiatives such as Pension Credit, Income Support and the Winter Fuel Payment mean that there are nearly a million fewer pensioners living in poverty than at the end of the 1990s. At the other end of the spectrum, our schools have benefited from increases in funding that have brought more teachers and better facilities. The results are clear – in East Newcastle there are 78% more young people going on to further education than a decade ago.
2009 was a difficult year. The worldwide economic problems affected us all. In December the unemployment claimant count fell for the first time in two years, so there are signs that the Government’s approach to the crisis is working. The right thing to do is to continue to invest in jobs and public services, and to make sure everybody receives the support they need. That is the Labour Government’s commitment for 2010.