Social care leaders set out Green Paper priorities

Social care leaders have set out their priorities for the Adult Social Care Green Paper during a London conference.

A panel of leaders, including Professor Martin Green, CEO, Care England and Michael Voges, Executive Director, Associated Retirement Community Operators (ARCO), set out their Green Paper wish-list during the Westminster Health Forum.

Martin said: “The true measure of a successful integration is now well people experience a service.

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“The Green Paper needs to set out a vision that is focused on the individual.”

Pointing to previous failures in delivering radical change to the sector, Martin said the government had to set out a “route map to delivery”.

The Care England leader said there should be also be a focus on ensuring the development of an integrated health and social workforce able to move between the two systems.

He added that the Green Paper should also set out how technology can be used to empower people to live well and flexibly.

ARCO Executive Director Michael Voges said the government needed to create a framework that would allow retirement operators to flourish.

Michael said that just 0.6% of over 65s lived in retirement communities in the UK, compared with around 5% in Australia and New Zealand.

ARCO has set a goal of increasing this figure to 250,000 by 2030, requiring a £40bn investment.

The ARCO executive director said this projected growth could deliver savings of £5.6bn for the health and social care sector.