2021 Conference Motion

Tewkesbury Conference Motion 2021 

Social care 

Our ambition for social care should be as far reaching as Bevan's formation of the NHS and cost should not be a barrier to high quality care. This pandemic has shown that frontline carers are essential to a properly functioning society and economy, yet two thirds don’t earn the real living wage and a quarter are on zero hours contracts. As a starting point, all care workers should be paid a least a real living wage and have secure full or part-time employment contracts.  Many middle and low-income earners become part of a lottery if they get ill when they are elderly. This means for many a lifetime of work tied up in their homes is lost, as the family home has to be sold to pay for any residential nursing care. We feel that this ‘lottery’ is unfair as in many cases, inheritance lifts future generations out of poverty.  We call on the Labour Party to set out a vision that: 

• Uses the model that funds the NHS for social care, paid for by all and free at the point of delivery. 
• Improves pay, terms, and conditions for our social care staff.
• Improves support for unpaid carers, including increased rights, flexibility, and financial security.
• Sets out an overall vision for social care that is needs-based and publicly funded and promotes dignity and security for those who receive care.
• Ends the need for the elderly to sell their homes to pay for social care.