BBC presenter Amol Rajan skewered a health minister this morning over the government’s delays to social care reforms.
Labour has recently set up an independent commission as a first step towards eventually establishing a National Care Service.
It will be headed up by Baroness Casey and begin its work next spring before delivering a final report in 2028.
But, speaking to minister Karin Smyth on Radio 4′s Today programme on Monday, Rajan said: “It’s interesting that you came into power saying there needs to be a national care service.
“And you’ve now done what pretty much everyone has done for a very long time – announce a review.”
He pointed out that this final report is not due until 2028 – a year before the current parliamentary term is up – adding: “That’s going to be 17 years after another review, which did have cross-party support called the Dilnot review.”
Rajan continued: “Why don’t you just get on with social care reform, why do you need these reviews which take years and years and years?”
The minister acknowledged that social care is the problem at the back end of hospitals, and “it’s miserable for families”.
But, she added: “We need a political consensus around this now.”
Rajan cut in: “Why do you need a political consensus? You’ve got a massive majority in parliament, isn’t this just massive delaying of an urgent problem?”
Labour secured a landslide victory in July, taking 411 seats.
Rajan continued: “Why do you need Louise Casey to wait for years to do another review, we’ve had reviews! We had some 17 years ago.
“Aren’t you just delaying making the decisions necessary to improve social care in this country?”
But Smyth hit back: “Because there has to be a consensus about implementing them.
“The reason they’ve all failed is because they’ve been torpedoed by both parties–”
“You’ve got a majority!” Rajan said, again.
“We’ve got to make sure people are wanting to see the changes,” Smyth said, adding that they are “not starting from scratch” but there has to be consensus for the “scale of the change which is needed.”
This tense exchange comes after the chief executive of the independent health think tank, The King’s Fund, called on the government to “accelerate” reform for the social care sector.
Sarah Woolnough told the Today programme last week: “We’ve got a social care system that doesn’t work for millions of people.
“The human cost is high, many people are going without care, they are facing very severe or catastrophic costs for care or family are having to step in.
“This is about human dignity. It’s about helping people live well, we can’t wait many years – and the danger is if you don’t report until 2028, that is kicking it into the long grass.”