Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSRCN welcomes free personal care plans
The RCN has welcomed the Government’s proposal to give free personal care to those in the greatest need but has said the plans are ‘just one piece of the jigsaw’.
The Government has pledged to establish a National Care Service which will see people looked after in their homes for as long as possible.
However RCN chief executive and general secretary Dr Peter Carter said that more detail is needed on how the service would be funded.
He added: “Free personal care is just one piece of the jigsaw. Significant change relies on ministers seeing the bigger social care picture, which spans the often complicated relationship between hospitals, care homes and community services.
“Greater clarity is also needed on how the proposed National Care Service would be funded and how ‘highest needs’ is defined - it is vital that all health and nursing care costs continue to be funded by the NHS, irrelevant of how and where social care is provided.
“Nurses work on the interface between health and social care and are in a prime position to help shape the National Care Service.”
The RCN will publish the findings of its member consultation next week, which asked nurses’ views on the proposals.
Online training units, written and reviewed by experts. Earn two hours' CPD and a personalised certificate for your portfolio.
Subscribers get five FREE learning units and non-subscribers can access each learning unit for £10 + VAT.
Share
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment.