The Chairs of three House of Commons Select Committees are urging
the Prime Minister to reach a cross-party agreement on the future
of health and social care funding in a letter published today.
The letter has been sent by MP, Chair of the Health
Committee, MP, Chair of the Public
Accounts Committee, and MP, Chair of the Communities
and Local Government Committee.
The Committee Chairs say that a “political consensus” is needed
to address the “pressing social care challenges facing the
country” and that it must also include the NHS. They call on the
Prime Minister to invite all parties to take part in an urgent
review, covering the health and social care systems.
The MPs continue: “In short, the problem is widely recognised -
we now need political agreement so that a solution for the long
term can be found.”
The letter follows the Prime Minister’s appearance before the
House of Commons Liaison Committee on December 20, when she
answered questions on health and social care funding.
The letter reads: “We were encouraged by your recognition at
the Liaison Committee that everyone has a part to play in finding
a sustainable way of ensuring social care provision in the
future. You also accepted the need for a review to find
a way of funding social care sustainably for the
long term.
“We believe that can best be achieved if there is
cross-party consensus, and therefore urge you to
invite all parties to become involved in a
review, which should begin as soon as
possible. Given the scale of rising demand, this immense
challenge will face whichever Party is in government over the
coming decades.”
The Committee Chairs argue that the consensus should be reached
swiftly so that the agreed approach can be reflected in the next
round of Government spending.
“We also feel that the ongoing separation of health and social
care is creating difficulties for individuals and avoidable
barriers and inefficiencies. Any review should cover the two
systems”, the MPs add.
