Social Care: MENCAP comments on tomorrow’s house of commons crucial vote

Tomorrow (Wednesday 30th March) the House of Commons will make a crucial vote about a government change to the cap on social care costs. Mencap has issued the following comment about the impact on working-aged disabled people.

Jackie O’Sullivan, Executive Director of Communication, Advocacy & Activism at learning disability charity Mencap, said: “Social care is in desperate need of reform, but these care cap proposals do not offer the solution to the problems facing working age disabled adults and they need a rethink.  We are pleased that the House of Lords rejected them. The original Dilnot proposal was for everyone under the age of 40 to ​have a cap set at zero which would be the only fair way of delivering a system which works for everyone.

“People with a learning disability and their families care are already paying the price of a social care system ravaged by the pandemic – and things look set to get worse with inflation on a steep rise. We hope the House of Commons will do the right thing today and follow the Lords’ lead. ​Otherwise, vital funding for the system will be diverted away from the issues that matter like fair access to care and support, high quality support and better pay for care workers.”