Plans for a new consultation into social care have been met with cynicism in local government. Health secretary, Alan Johnson, has announced plans for a ‘radical overhaul' of social care, after research from the Personal Social Services Research Unit revealed there would be a £6bn black hole in social care funding within the next 20 years – a fact the Local Government Association has been warning about for several years. However, the Government recognised that social care funding presented a potential problem as far back as 1997. The Royal Commission on long-term care, carried out by Lord Sutherland, was commissioned in 1997 and reported in 1999. The Government failed to act on any of the recommendations, which included free personal care for the elderly. A King's Fund report into social care by Derek Wanless in 2001 was also ignored by the Government. Chair of the LGA's community wellbeing board, Cllr David Rogers, accused the Government of failing keep pace with the demands of an ageing population. As a result, councils were forced to withdraw services for people with low or moderate need. He called on the Government to act to overhaul social care funding. ‘It is unjust that people have to wait until their life is threatened, or suffer from a serious mental and physical illness before they receive care,' he said. The Scottish Government has vowed to find the extra cash for its flagship free personal care policy. Health secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, said: ‘The Scottish Government will provide additional funding of £40m to local authorities from 2009/10 to help stabilise policy. ‘Both we and local government agree the need to ensure that the additional funding will deliver improved outcomes for vulnerable older people.'
