Ending the other care crisis: Making the case for investment in preventative care and support for disabled adults
This new research by Scope, Mencap, The National Autistic Society, Sense and Leonard Cheshire Disability suggests that restoring the £1.2 billion underfunding for care would not only help support 100,000 disabled working age adults but would actually also provide financial returns.
For every £1 spent on support for people with ‘moderate’ level needs, an average of £1.30 will go back to the NHS, local and central government, and individuals.
Disability Rights UK says
‘Investment in social care is about supporting us as disabled people to contribute to our communities. With support to get out of bed, get washed and dressed, travel, deal with any social difficulties we may have, we can become full citizens – able to be parents and grandparents, to participate in our communities, to get and keep employment and education. Without that support, we are often isolated, out of work, requiring more benefits and health care (at greater public expense).
That is why ‘saving’ money on social care is a completely false economy. Social care and support is not ‘expenditure’ – it is an investment, that brings returns to everyone in Britain. No one wants disabled people to be passive and isolated. With the right support we can be active citizens.
There is one proviso: the support needs to be personal, so we have choice and control to get on with our lives. For instance, it is no use providing help to get up and dressed at 11am if we need to be at work at 9. It is no use expecting young disabled people to live in residential care with no freedom, when they want to be out with their non-disabled peers. We therefore call on the charities that published ‘Ending the Other Care Crisis’ to commit to transforming all their services quickly into true independent living support, with choice and control in the hands of disabled people ourselves’.
To download the report go to http://www.scope.org.uk/sites/default/files/Ending_the_other_care_crisis.pdf