A LETTER TO GET YOU STARTED
| Dear [MP’s name],
I am writing because of the current national conversation about the future of social care. I welcome the fact that social care is receiving serious political attention. But I am concerned that much of the debate is about how we pay for social care and how we recruit and retain enough care workers. Those things matter enormously. But I think there is another question we need to ask: What kind of social care do we actually want? I am [age / a little about yourself, if you wish]. When I think about getting older and perhaps needing more support, what matters to me is: [Tell your MP something about the life you want to continue living.] What I particularly want is: What I really don’t want is: I would like the Government’s reform of social care to be much more imaginative, creating much greater choice and flexibility rather than leaving people to choose from a limited menu of conventional services. The Government’s Adult Social Care Survey for 2024/25 found that only 34.4% of people receiving long-term social care said they had as much control over their daily lives as they wanted. Among people receiving community-based support, 27.7% said they did not have enough choice over the care and support services they received. So, as discussions about social care reform develop, I would be grateful if you would ask not only: “How are we going to pay for social care?” but also: “What IS social care — and what do we want it to be?” I would be very interested to know what you think. Yours sincerely, [NAME] |