Sir Derek Wanless has criticised the government for producing the health and social care white paper without a clear understanding of its costs, despite its “ambitious rhetoric”.
Wanless told an inquiry by MPs that ministers relied on outsiders to forecast long-term service costs when it was a job for Whitehall.
For instance, Wanless said that when he was commissioned in 2001 to produce a report into long-term health demand, he was told by chancellor Gordon Brown that he should also cost the previous year’s NHS Plan.
He told the all-party parliamentary groups on social care and primary care, who are hosting the inquiry: “Now the white paper is the same. The problem for government is if it produces large ambitious rhetoric then there will be a bill to pay.”
Wanless, who published a King’s Fund-sponsored report into social care funding this year (Call for free minimum level of care
), also criticised ministers for imposing different regimes on health and social care while at the same time calling on the two sectors to work together more effectively.
The two all-party groups will now produce a report on implementing the white paper, based on four inquiry sessions and written evidence.
Wanless tells MPs of concerns over costs
More from Community Care
Related articles:
Job of the week
Featured jobs
Employer Zone
‘Solutions can’t be scripted here – you have to be creative’
Putting a team around the social worker to make a difference to families
How working in residential care enables staff to build one-on-one relationships with young people
‘We will always challenge ourselves to transform our services to improve outcomes for children and families’
‘It’s our job is to observe the child, find their voice and be their advocate’
Employer zone – showcasing a selection of the sector’s top recruiters
Community Care Inform
Latest stories
‘Why only specialist child protection teams will tackle the annual child death toll’
Frontline’s social work qualification rates lower than other fast-track schemes’, data shows
‘Considerable investment’ in social work helps twice inadequate-rated council rise to ‘good’
Cafcass ‘in serious jeopardy’ regarding social work staffing due to pay constraints
Comments are closed.