Ellie Ames 22 August 2024

Call for cross-government taskforce to avoid ‘crisis of care’

Call for cross-government taskforce to avoid ‘crisis of care’ image
Image: Halfpoint / Shutterstock.com

More than a million extra people will be providing informal care over the next decade, a charity has said, calling for a government plan to avoid a ‘crisis of care’.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has projected that 990,000 more people in the UK have informal caring responsibilities by 2035.

It warned that support for unpaid carers remained ‘inadequate’, and put them at risk of poverty.

The JRF also warned that the paid care system was ‘unfit’ to meet growing care needs.

It found that since 2016, just a fifth of people who required care accessed paid care services alone – with the rest at least partly reliant on informal care.

The charity called for the creation of a cross-government taskforce, bringing together ministers responsible for care, work, benefits and communities, to plan for growing demands to prevent a ‘crisis of care’.

Priorities would be to make paid services more available and affordable, while increasing benefits and employment support for unpaid carers, the JRF said.

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Director of Public Health

Royal Borough of Greenwich
Up to £131,210
The Public Health department is at the heart of the council’s business. Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Head of Regeneration and Growth

Plymouth City Council
£68,387 - £74,411 (MFS and relocation available, pay award pending)
This is a unique opportunity to lead our award-winning development team and directly deliver hundreds of millions of pounds of projects. Plymouth, Devon
Recuriter: Plymouth City Council

Director of Adult Social Care

Wiltshire Council
£119,390 - £127,137
Join us as the Director of Adult Social Care and make a real difference to people’s lives. Wiltshire
Recuriter: Wiltshire Council

Assistant Director Planning, Performance & Engagement

East Sussex County Council
up to £97,700
With strong local communities, unspoilt countryside and vibrant coastal towns, East Sussex offers an exceptional quality of life to many. East Sussex
Recuriter: East Sussex County Council

Director of Finance & Commerce

Lancashire County Council
Up to £114,339
You will play a critical role in driving the organisation through complex change and innovation. Lancashire
Recuriter: Lancashire County Council
Linkedin Banner