Election 2024 Manifesto round-up | Liberal Democrats: Community Care

Commitments include providing funding for free personal care, giving unpaid carers a fair deal, and introducing a Carer’s Minimum Wage

The Liberal Democrat party has today launched its manifesto ahead of the General Election on 4 July 2024.

Community care-related commitments contained in For a Fair Deal include to -

• Provide truly personalised care that empowers individuals by -
  • trialling personal health and social care budgets so that individuals are in control of what care they receive;
  • rolling out digital platforms for care users to develop networks, relationships and opportunities, connecting with care workers, friends and family, voluntary groups and more;
  • improving communication standards so carers can support care users to co-produce and monitor care plans;
  • developing a digital strategy for tech-enabled lives; and
  • establish an Independent Living Taskforce to help people live independently in their own homes, with more choice and control over their lives.

• End the postcode lottery of service provision and provide national, high-quality care for everyone who needs it by -
  • providing predictable, consistent funding for free personal care;
  • increasing transparency and accountability as to how money is spent through local authorities;
  • creating a National Care Agency to set national minimum standards of care; and
  • enabling individuals to transfer their care package so they don’t feel stuck in their current locality due to their care needs.

• Give unpaid carers a fair deal by -
  • increasing carer’s allowance and expanding eligibility for it (see Election 2024 Manifesto round-up | Liberal Democrats: Welfare rights);
  • introducing a statutory guarantee of regular respite breaks for unpaid carers;
  • introducing paid carer’s leave, building on the entitlement to unpaid leave;
  • making caring a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 and requiring employers to make reasonable adjustments to enable employees with caring responsibilities to provide that care; and
  • introducing a Young Carers Pupil Premium as part of an ‘Education Guarantee’ for young carers.

• Make careers in social care more attractive and value experienced staff to improve retention by -
  • creating a new Carer’s Minimum Wage, boosting the minimum wage for care workers by £2 an hour, as a starting point for improved pay across the sector;
  • creating clear career pathways, linked to recommended pay scales, which put an end to the undervaluing of skills in the sector;
  • creating a career ladder to allow flexibility to work across the NHS and social care, allowing staff to gain experience in both;
  • creating a Royal College of Care Workers to represent this skilled workforce; and
  • expanding the NHS Digital Staff Passport to include the care sector.

• Recruit more staff to the sector with a social care workforce plan, akin to the NHS England workforce plan, that includes ethical international recruitment

• Support people to age well by -
  • establishing a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing;
  • rolling out active ageing programmes and trips and falls assessments for everyone over the age of 75 to prevent falls, avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and promote healthy ageing; and
  • opening fracture liaison services so that osteoporosis patients can get the treatment they need and prevent long-term issues and costs.

• Support children in kinship care and their family carers by -
  • introducing a statutory definition of kinship care;
  • building on the existing pilot to develop a weekly allowance for all kinship carers.

• Make care experience a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 to strengthen the rights of people who are in or have been in care.

• Refresh the national strategy for loneliness collaboratively with service providers and people who have lived experience of loneliness, to be overseen by a dedicated Minister for Tackling Loneliness.

For more information, see For a Fair Deal from libdems.org.uk

See also the Liberal Democrats' commitments in relation to: Welfare Rights;  Housing; and Employment.

NB - manifestos from the range of main parties include: Conservative: Clear Plan, Bold Action, Secure Future | Green: Real hope, real change | Labour: Change | Liberal Democrat: For a Fair Deal | Scotland: Alba: Yes to Scottish Independence | Scottish Conservative and Unionist: Focused on your priorities | Scottish Labour: Our National Recovery Plan | Scottish National Party: A future made in Scotland | Wales: Plaid Cymru: For fairness, for ambition, for Wales | Welsh Labour: Change | Northern Ireland: Alliance: Leading Change | Democratic Unionist Party: Making Northern Ireland Work | Sinn Fein: Strong Leadership, Positive Change | Social Democratic and Labour Party: An Election for Change

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