New director of social care to be appointed

John Reid

The government is to create a new post of ‘national director
of social care’ to ensure the sector is fairly represented in
Whitehall.

Health secretary
John Reid told the National Social Services Conference the new
director would also help the developing relationship between health
and social care.

“For those
who say it (social care) will not be at the centre of what we are
trying to do, that will not be the case as long as I am secretary
of state,” he said.

It was unclear how
this new post will fit into the structures created by the
government, including the new Commission for Social Care
Inspection, and the General Social Care Council.

Andrew Cozens, the
Association of Directors of Social Services president-elect, said
the new national director of social care was needed to champion the
voice of social services within the Department of Health. He said
it should be a senior post that would be as close to the chief
executive and permanent secretary as possible.

Denise Platt,
shadow chairperson of the Commission for Social Care Inspection,
said she was pleased that Reid unveiled plans to give social care a
new leadership role within the DoH, but said she was unsure about
who the new director would be accountable to.

She said she hoped
it would be a move that would put social care back on level terms
with health within the department.