Care and Support Reimagined: a National Care Covenant for England
This report of Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care calls for the transformation of care and support through a National Care Covenant.
It set out three actions to realise a new vision for care and support: rethinking attitudes to care and support; rebalancing roles and responsibilities; and redesigning the social care system. It proposes that the National Care Covenant would be overseen at a national government level, developed through a sustained programme of public dialogue and engagement, and agreed by different stakeholders.
The Commission’s report is based on 18 months of listening and engaging with people who draw on care and support, unpaid carers, care workers, and organisations that provide and commission care, as well as experts. Key elements of the Covenant proposed by the Commission are:
- Investment in communities
- A stronger role for the state
- A new deal for unpaid carers
- A commitment to our responsibilities as actively engaged citizens
The report argues that tackling negative attitudes to ageing and disability must be the starting point to reimagining care and support. Furthermore, the report makes radical recommendations for redesigning the care system, with a long-term aspiration of making care and support a universal entitlement, including:
- Simplified assessment that leads to a guaranteed budget
- People being trusted to manage their own care and decide what help they need
- Independent advocacy to help people to access their rights and entitlements
The report also highlights the importance of housing and technology and refers to a number of examples. Speaking after the launch in London, Housing LIN’s CEO, Jeremy Porteus, said:
“The Commission’s report provides a ‘tour de force’ on how and why we should be reimagining care in the 21 century. Grounded in a strong set of
core values, at its foundation is the importance of the whole person and access to an architecture of compassionate and universal care and support that enables us all to flourish in an environment that cares. And, reinforcing the earlier findings of the Archbishops’ Housing Commission, I applaud the call for more adaptable and accessible homes - as well as innovations in technology-enabled care and smart housing – to meet our needs and lifestyle aspirations. I passionately believe these are essential to ensure that all our homes and neighbourhoods are fit for a ‘care-ready’ future.”