The main legal definitions flow from the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990, with other provisions covering disability and responsibilities to informal carers.
That provision may have one or more of the following aims: to protect people who use care services from abuse or neglect, to prevent deterioration of or promote physical or mental health, to promote independence and social inclusion, to improve opportunities and life chances, to strengthen families and to protect human rights in relation to people's social needs.
[2] The term often implies informal networks of support and assistance as well as services funded following assessments by social work and other professions.
In medieval times, social care had been provided by monastic foundations, but at the Reformation, that support ended when the monasteries were dissolved.
After briefly experimenting with harsher approaches to the destitute, the Tudor establishment passed the Poor Relief Act 1601, which made civil parishes (a local government unit) responsible for providing basic health, domestic care, housing, and employment support, to those in need; this was one of the earliest acts of Parliament to offer statutory support.
Under the Poor Law Reform Act, civil parishes were encouraged to form Poor Law Unions with other nearby civil parishes, and establish a joint workhouse, which were to require to operate in a manner that was so harsh and basic that people would only resort to workhouses if they were absolutely destitute and had no other option.
[7] However, the increasingly wealthy middle classes, now having enough time and money to engage in leisurely pursuits, established voluntary organisations which sought to alleviate these difficulties, providing rudimentary social work, and medical services.
In 1906, the descendants of the Whigs, the Liberal party, came to power, and reversed their earlier opposition to Speenhamland-like systems, by bringing into force the first means-tested pension for people aged 70 and over; the able-bodied elderly no longer required the workhouse.
[11] The act details the local authorities' duties in relation to assessing the needs and eligibility of people for publicly funded care.
If the financial resources of someone who is a permanent resident exceeds £23,250, the local authority is not permitted to pay towards the cost of provision of accommodation in a care home.
[16] In September 2021, under the Conservative government, Boris Johnson announced plans for reform in adult social care, starting with the Funding Cost Cap changing to £86,000 from October 2023.
[17] Under the new cap, the upper capital limit (the point at which people are eligible to receive financial support from their local authority) will rise to £100,000, from the previous £23,250, making it a more generous proposal.
Caroline Abrahams of Age UK said, "The problems facing social care are national, but for too long successive governments have left local councils to carry the can.
This is such a big problem now that to have credibility at this election every political party that aspires to govern needs to bring forward a policy to fix care, once and for all.
Financial assistance is available from local councils to cover the remainder of costs up to an amount expected to meet needs, but it remains means-tested, and is thus targeted at those whose assets and income are not sufficient to pay for their care.
[20] Sir Andrew Dilnot conducted a review of the social care system for the Cameron Government, and proposed a universal lifetime cost cap of around £73,000, on the basis of pooled risk, like an insurance arrangement.
In 2015, Professor Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said that "since 2009, ... the number of people aged 85 years and over has increased by 9%.
[25] In 2017, the Local Government Association estimated a £2.6bn funding shortfall by 2020 and feared some councils could be challenged in the High Court for not providing a statutory minimum standard of care.
[33] Conservative Doctor Sarah Wollaston said: Rising unmet need for social care will not be resolved without genuine cross-party working to find a long-term solution to funding.
"[35] William Laing, founder of LaingBuisson said that it was "highly unlikely" that cross-party consensus on how to overhaul the social care system could be achieved and that "if you really wanted to professionalise the service and pay people, not the minimum wage but a decent career structure, then we're talking about several billion pounds.
[37] The manifesto proposals, which saw a rise in the threshold for free care from £23,250 to £100,000 for over 65's and also included property in the means test and permitting deferred payment after death, were criticised as a "Dementia Tax".
Four days after the manifesto launch, May announced that these proposals would form the basis of a wider consultation on wider social care funding, which drew criticisms of a "U-Turn[38][37] In March 2017, Chancellor Philip Hammond first announced a green paper on the future funding options for social care.
[43] On 24 July 2019, in his first speech as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson pledged to fix social care "once and for all" with a "ready-to-go" plan.
[46] The levy was designed to improve social care, and deal with the backlog of patients waiting for treatment following the COVID-19 pandemic The new levy means any person liable to pay national insurance, including people of pension age, is required to pay a tax equal to 1.25% of the amount of individual's earnings or profits.
[53] One type of work covers assessment and commissioning on behalf of local public finance, for people felt to be in need according to eligibility criteria.
[54] Social care practitioners frequently work in partnership with staff from other professions, including health, housing, education, advice and advocacy services and the law.
[51] Qualified social workers are currently required to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) before commencing practice.
Occupational Therapy is another important profession working in health and social care settings, contributing to the promotion of people's independence through advice and provision of equipment, and enhancing the suitability of housing through Adaptations.
They said effective domiciliary care needed innovative providers who could bring together nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and other carers.
[citation needed] James Bethell in January 2021 "acknowledged the frustration felt by many" after the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee called for an extra £8 billion a year to tackle the "national scandal" of underfunding in the sector.