United Kingdom
Homecare Association (UKHCA)
Manifesto 2015
Enabling people to live independently at home
UKHCA Manifesto
About UKHCA
As the professional association for
homecare providers, our manifesto calls
on each political party to make a firm
commitment to high quality, sustainable
care services which enable people to live
at home and in their community.
Current state of care
Social care and health care in the UK are
in crisis. The traditional solution – funding
acute health services to support people
who are already in ill health, without
adequate social care services – will lead to
repeated failure.
Homecare services support over 885,0001
older and disabled people a year to live
independent and fulfilling lives without
recourse to residential care. The sector
also provides employment to around
578,0002 front-line workers. Over 70%3
of all homecare services are purchased
by the state, mostly by councils and by
health and social care trusts in Northern
Ireland. The vast majority of these
services are delivered by independent and
voluntary sector organisations.
Given current inadequate financial
resources, the UK needs a new approach,
with proper funding of community-based
social care to reduce dependence on acute
services, while supporting people to live
well at home.
Effective homecare services reduce costs
for the NHS by supporting people at
home with greater access to preventative
services and re-ablement after illness.
Commitments for the next
Government
UKHCA calls on the political parties which
lead, or have a significant influence
in, the next Government to commit to
the following principles. We have also
identified a number of specific initiatives
that should be acted on in the first session
of the next Parliament as a start towards
addressing the broader principles.
2 UKHCA Manifesto 2015
Support people’s right to
independence
• Recognise that, should they need
care, the vast majority of people in
the UK would prefer to remain at
home, in their community, for as long
as possible and they would generally
choose to die at home rather than in
hospital. Future Government policy
should be designed to enable this to
happen.
• Ensure that Government policy
facilitates and encourages home-based
social care and removes barriers to
access.
• Consistently encourage and facilitate
high quality co-ordinated social and
health care which meets the needs of
the individual and the outcomes he or
she wishes to achieve.
As a start, in the first session of the
new Parliament:
Require authorities in social care and
health to demonstrate that they have
investigated all options for supporting
people in their own home, where this
is their preference, in an efficient and
timely way, whether their social care is
to be state or privately funded.
Realise the potential of social care to
improve health
• Adopt social care policies which maintain
people’s wellbeing and inclusion in
society.
• Foster genuine co-ordination of resources
between social care and health services,
so that people get the support they need
early enough to prevent unnecessary
or unplanned admission to hospital or
residential or nursing care.
As a start, in the first session of the new
Parliament:
Require social care and health authorities,
including all Health and Wellbeing Boards
to include representatives of people who
use commissioned services and of social
care providers as full members, so that
truly joined up service provision can be
developed.
Prioritise social care
Support the social care workforce
• Commit to addressing the major
financial deficit in social care and
health care, ensuring the allocation
of adequate resources across both
sectors, to improve the benefits to
individuals and value for money for
tax payers.
• Recognise the significant contribution
that the social care sector makes
to the UK economy by maintaining
people’s wellbeing; providing
employment; supporting working
family-carers and generating tax
revenue.
• Ensure that resources allocated to
meet social care needs actually reach
front-line services for people who
need support, and are not diverted to
competing areas of spending.
• Actively support the social care
workforce through measures which
facilitate better terms and conditions
for workers and actions which develop
their skills-base and raise their
professional status in society.
As a start, in the first session of the
new Parliament:
As a start, in the first session of the
new Parliament:
Require that commissioning
authorities immediately start to cover
the real costs of the delivery of safe,
dignified homecare to people who
need support; providing additional
ring-fenced money where this is
shown to be necessary.
Commit to funding increased state
investment in training in order to
enhance the quality of care, the status
of the workforce and attractiveness of
social care as a career. Why we must act now
Regulation and quality of care
• Ensure that all social care and health
services and workforces are robustly
and independently monitored by an
effective statutory regulator.
• Require regulators to scrutinise
properly the commissioning of social
care services on a regular basis.
As a start, in the first session of the
new Parliament:
Require care regulators proactively to inspect and report on commissioning
practices of all councils and other
bodies purchasing care on behalf
of the state, to ensure that these
practices are consistent with provision
of safe and dignified care services to
meet people’s individual needs.
As the UK’s population ages over the next
20 years we face increasing demands
on a society where people of working
age are a smaller proportion of the total
population.
The political parties in the next
Parliament which deliver and start
taking action on the principles above will
significantly meet the expectations of
voters to enhance the lives of older and
disabled people and their family carers,
and create a social care workforce which
meets the needs of modern society, now
and in the future.
_____________
Sources:
1.
UKHCA estimate based on a composite of data from
local government returns to relevant departments
of state and UKHCA estimate of people funding care
privately.
2.
UKHCA estimate based on a composite figure derived
from government reports from relevant departments
of state.
3.
As footnote 1.
UKHCA Manifesto 2015 3
Quick facts about homecare services
578,000
885,000
1 million
6.6 million
people are employed
in the homecare
sector across
the UK1
people are receiving
homecare services
across the UK
per year2
people will suffer
from dementia by
20213
people will be aged
75 or older
by 20224
9 out of 10 people
7 out of 10 adults
aged 50+ would want care in their
own home5
want to die in their own home6
_________________________________________________________________________
Sources:
1.
2.
UKHCA estimate based on a composite figure derived
from government reports for relevant departments of
state.
3.
Alzheimer’s Society 2014
4.
National population projections 2012
UKHCA estimate based on a composite of data from local
government returns to relevant departments of state
and UKHCA estimate of people funding care privately.
5.
Saga / Populus survey of Saga customers 2013
6.
Dying matters / Comres 2014
For more information on homecare services
UKHCA website
www.ukhca.co.uk
Reports
• The Homecare Deficit (2015) – a report on the funding of older people’s homecare across
the United Kingdom. Downloadable from: www.ukhca.co.uk/rates
• The Minimum Price for Homecare (2014) – Downloadable from: www.ukhca.co.uk/
downloads.aspx?ID=434
• Care is not a Commodity – UKHCA Commissioning Survey (2012) - Downloadable from:
www.ukhca.co.uk/downloads.aspx?ID=356
To contact UKHCA
Twitter: @ukhca | Email: enquiries@ukhca.co.uk | Telephone: 020 8661 8188
United Kingdom Homecare Association Ltd. is registered in England. Registration Number: 03083104