'Queen's Speech marks delay on care reform'

The absence of a full Bill to reform social care in today's Queen's Speech has been met with disappointment by over 50 organisations, including Age UK.

The Queen's Speech today announced that the Government will publish a draft bill on reforming care for older people in the current session of parliament.

Many organisations, including Age UK, have been campaigning for urgent reform of the social care system which they describe as 'crumbling' and had hoped that the Queen's Speech would announce a full bill.

The delay was greeted with disappointment. Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director of Age UK said: 'A draft Bill on social care is some progress but a full Bill would have been so much better. As it is, this means no legislation for at least a year to drive the reform of social care law and funding that we desperately need.

'We accept that these reforms have to be got right and we want to work with the Government to make sure this happens; nonetheless, the millions of older people and their families who depend on good social care and who are often not able to get it will be asking why, yet again, they are being made to wait.'

Simon Gillespie, Chair of the Care and Support Alliance - a coalition of over 50 organisations including Age UK said: 'We are deeply disappointed that the Queen's Speech did not contain a full social care reform bill - as will the millions of older or disabled people let down by the current system of care.  
 
'The Government has effectively broken its promise to introduce legislation to sort out social care in the second session of Parliament, and failed to grasp the urgency of tackling a crisis that is currently condemning too many older or disabled people to a miserable existence.'