Ministers have disregarded our social care workers yet again
Ministers have disregarded our social care workers yet again
GMB, the union for health and social care workers, has called on Ministers to address the hole at the heart of the health and social care white paper – the Government’s promises to fix social care.
The white paper on the future of health and social care contains only one pledge to set out social care reforms “’this year’.
GMB union has long campaigned to repeal in full the Health and Social Care Act 2012 - particularly controversial section 75 - and reverse the tide of health service privatisation and outsourcing.
Rehana Azam, GMB National Secretary, said:
“The Prime Minister promised 18 months ago to ‘fix’ social care within 12 months of being in Government.
“We still have nothing from them other than a flimsy pledge to set out these reforms ‘this year’. They couldn’t keep that promise 18 months ago why should GMB members trust them now?”
“For too long politicians have kicked social care into the long grass. The pandemic has vividly shown what that has meant for those getting care, their families and the workforce.
“Any attempt to reverse the provisions in the Health and Social Care 2012 are small steps in the right direction. But without fully repealing the law it still leaves the NHS open to the urges of a Health Secretary who has wasted billions on useless private creations like the failed Test and Trace program.
“Back in 2011, the NHS white paper was titled ‘Liberating the NHS’ - but over the past ten years it has been obliterated by the Tory Government.
"We don’t need further reforms, we need a properly funded, publicly delivered National Health and Care Service - one that values the backbone of our health services, our staff.”
