In response to the joint report ‘Turning the welfare state upside down? Developing a new adult social care offer’ published today by the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City Council, Liz Kendall MP, Shadow Minister for Care and Older People, said:

“This report is absolutely right to say that our social care system is broken and increasingly unfit for purpose.

“We need a big and bold response to tackle the crisis and ensure a decent and fair system for the future.

“The report is right to emphasise the need for closer cooperation between social care and the NHS, and shaping services around the needs of an individual. This is exactly what Labour’s vision of Whole Person Care is about; fully integrated services which give people real say and control, with a much bigger focus on prevention to help people stay healthy and living independently in their own homes for as long as possible. This system would be better for older and disabled people, and deliver better value for public money too.”