Ageism and Social Care – Submission to the Casey Commission
We are pleased to attach a copy of our submission to the Casey Commission – Independent Commission on Adult Social Care (England) https://caseycommission.co.uk/
The paper draws from the Ageism SIG online event held in December, and discussions with experts and input from the Steering Group, under the lead authorship of Dr Melanie Henwood. We had a very constructive meeting last week with Casey Commission officials where we discussed our analysis and recommendations and will be continuing to engage with them.
Our recommendations include:
- The Commission should make an explicit commitment to anti-ageist policy and practice
- There should be better data collection and analysis to document the impact of social care policy and practice on different populations and cohorts
- Access to social care must never be based principally on age criteria
- There should be improvements in access to social work for older people who are currently less likely to be offered such input
- Information and advice for people navigating care and support needs to be much improved and not limited to signposting
- Any future reforms must be backed with clear and enforceable entitlements for people of all ages
- Innovation in models of care and support must accelerate and be developed with people who draw on services
Next steps – please help
We are now asking for ideas and evidence, from across the UK and internationally, to bring together a report that looks at how ageism in social care can be prevented and combatted. We are interested in examples of good practice and what works in services, support, and systems as well as practical ways to guard against ageism in policy development and implementation. Please contact us with your ideas, evidence, and suggestions of organisations and individuals that may be interested in contributing to this work.
With thanks and best wishes,
Heléna and Jane
Heléna Herklots CBE (Chair)
Jane Minter (Vice-Chair)
BSG Special Interest Group on Ageism
