A Constitution For Social Care Needed, Says Demos, UK

Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis
Article Date: 05 Feb 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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Equality think tank Demos has today warned that millions of people in the UK who rely on social care risk becoming "second class citizens" unless their rights are protected by an NHS-style Constitution.

The report, prepared in conjunction with the MS Society and Leonard Cheshire Disability, claims that care for the elderly, disabled and those with special needs is already neglected, under-funded and poorly understood and that restricting constitutional rights to the NHS will widen the divide between healthcare users and social care users even further.

The report, which includes a model constitution for social care, says a charter of rights like the one adopted by the NHS last year to would enshrine social care users rights and responsibilities and put social care on an equal footing with healthcare services.

Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the MS Society, said: "With an ageing population and increased recognition that people with disabilities need more support to live full and independent lives, the debate around reforming the social care system has never been more relevant.

"Social care remains poorly understood, undervalued, and under-funded and for many people it is a remote and increasingly inaccessible service, but it is just as important to the health and well-being of the country as the NHS.

"We've launched this constitution to show that social care needs the same long term solutions as the NHS."

Co-author of the report Jamie Bartlett said

"It's unacceptable that we grant rights to healthcare users but leave those who use social care completely disenfranchised. Social care users deserve the same constitutional rights NHS users now enjoy, or they will end up as second class citizens. It's time we had a fair deal for social care. A formal Constitution would level the playing-field and ensure that those who have needs also have rights."

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