Wednesday 25th January 2023
Reimagining Care - what does it mean?
A new report from The Church of England calls for radical reform to the social care sector
On Tuesday 24th January the Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care launched its report 'Care and Support Reimagined: A National Care Covenant for England'. The report calls for a radical rethink to how social care works, with all of society taking responsibility - from local and national government to individuals, families and communities, including churches.
As an organisation, we welcome the publication of this report and the way it is shaped by the biblical truth that every human is made in God's image and should be valued accordingly.
The three key priorities identified by the report are:
Rethinking Attitudes - to care and those who receive it
Rebalancing Roles and Responsibilities - including the role of unpaid carers and a collective responsibility to fund care through tax
Redesigning the System - the freedom of individuals to shape the care they receive/ better pay and conditions for those who work in care
We attended the launch at Friends House in London, which began with a screening of this video:
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby then gave his introductory remarks, explaining how the Reimagining Care Commission, whose nine members come from across the social care sector, began its work in 2021 with the aim of stepping back and considering what the needs are and how they can be financed for the long term. He noted that "whatever our circumstances, age and ability, we will all be supported at different times in our lives." He introduced the idea of a National Care Covenant where we are all committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in life.
The Chair and Co-Chair of the Commission, Dr Anna Dixon MBE and the Rt Revd James Newcome, Bishop of Carlisle, then outlined the findings of the report. This was followed by reflections from members of Livability's Changes for the Future Forum and a panel discussion with members of the Commission who contributed to the report:
- Baroness Andrews, Chair of the House of Lords Adult Social Care Committee
- Revd Adam Edwards, Acting CEO, Church Urban Fund
- Fazilet Hadi, Director of Policy, Disability Rights UK
- Emily Holzhausen OBE, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Carers UK
- Sarah McClinton, President, ADASS
As part of the question time we asked panellists about how they envisaged closer links being formed between care homes and society in general.
Overall, we feel that there are lots of good proposals in the report but we'd like to hear more about how older people will be included in this radical rethink. We did note that while there are some images of older people included in the report summary, none of them reflect the 'oldest old', that is those aged 85 and older. As many of the people we work with fall into this bracket, this to us felt like an omission.
On the day of the launch, our Chief Executive Stephen Hammersley was invited onto A Mucky Business, hosted by Tim Farron MP, to discuss what 'reimagining care' might look like in action. Stephen highlighted how the provision of high quality social care for older people, such as that provided by our charity, is a huge issue given our rapidly ageing population and noted the essential role of prayer. You can listen again here.
Stephen also contributed to an article on the proposed National Care Covenant featured on Premier Christian News which you can read here.
More thought leadership from Pilgrims' Friend Society...
Older age reimagined
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby explores the blessings that come with age, the plans God has for older believers, and a radical reimagining of social care which places relationships at its heart
The real reason many older workers have taken early retirement
The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee that is looking at why so many over 50s have taken early retirement