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SVI joins the Big Care Debate
The Care and Support Alliance campaign asks; have you asked the care and support question at the 2010 general election?
The Care and Support Alliance, a group of charities and organisations is campaigning for radical reform of our care and support system.
Our care system is in crisis. Older people, working-aged disabled adults, those in ill-health, their families and carers demand that our political parties take action to fix the system.
All parliamentary candidates need to be challenged on this crucial issue in the run up to the general election and asked the care and support question.
How you can help?
Please challenge parliamentary candidates standing in your area about what their party intends to do to improve the quality of care and support services and the system of paying for it.
You could:
- Ask your candidate directly on your doorstep or in the streets.
- Write a letter to local or national newspapers.
- Ask questions at local meetings with candidates, or during election debates on radio or TV. You could telephone, email, text or attend.
- Call or write to your local radio station and ask them to have a phone-in about the issue and interview candidates about their response.
- Call or write to your local newspaper and ask them to have a feature on care and support, with all the local candidates required to respond.
Remember to include details about your personal experience of the system.
Please join the ‘have you asked the care and support question?’ campaign today.
General Election 2010 The Big Care Debate
Examples of possible questions
General
Do you think your political party’s proposals for social care are ambitious enough to meet the challenge presented by our ageing population?
Do you think/ Will your party commit more money to the social care pot to meet the increasing care needs of our ageing communities?
Do you think Britain is currently a good place to grow old in? How will your policies on a new system for social care ensure the most vulnerable older in our society get the good care they deserve?
How will your political party fix our broken social care system?
Do you agree that our social care system is broken and what will your political party do to fix it?
Do you agree that finding a long term settlement to social care is one of the most important domestic issues facing Britain today?
Do you think that a cross-party consensus can be reached on funding our care system in the future?
Currently care services are severely rationed so only people with the highest needs get help? How will your party’s policies ensure people with low level needs getting help?
Has your party ruled out the scrapping of Attendance Allowance, a vital non-means tested benefit for disabled older people?
Care in a care home can cost up to £400 per week. How will you party’s policies protect thousands of families from the catastrophic costs of care in a care home?
What can people expect by way of care support and quality from your party’s care policies? Are there commitments to quality guarantees?
Access to good quality social care can make a huge difference of quality of life for carers. How will your party’s policies on social care also deliver better carer support services?
If your party is elected to government, how long will it be before we see radical action to reform the social care system?
How will your party help more older people stay in their own homes?
Do you agree that as well as a new funding settlement for social care we also need to focus on ensuring older people get the good quality care they deserve?
Why can’t our political party’s come together to develop a long term solution for paying for care?
Our charging for care system penalises people who have scrimped and saved all their lives. How will your party’s policies on social care put an end to this?
Our charging for care system hits people on different incomes, including those on low incomes. How will your party deliver a fairer charging system for social care?
Our political party’s came together to find a way forward for pensions. Why can’t a similar political consensus be found on social care?
Can you provide any assurances that, under a reformed system of social care, there will be more money enough in the system for each individual to improve quality of care?
Do you think it is possible to create a political consensus on social care?