A BETTER FUTURE FOR OLDER PEOPLE

Transcription

1 A BETTER FUTURE FOR OLDER PEOPLE

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3 FOREWORD Labour s support for older people is based on a simple principle: that those who have worked hard, contributed to society, and played their part in our nation s success should have their contribution recognised through a fair deal in retirement. But many older people across the UK have been let down over the last five years by a Government that will not stand up for them against powerful interests. Rising energy bills and rip-off charges in the pensions market have hit pensioner incomes, and many older people find themselves increasingly having to support their children and grandchildren as they struggle with rising childcare costs, stagnating wages and rising insecurity in work. We are all more likely to rely on the National Health Service as we get older. But a growing crisis in the NHS and social care system means that people are waiting longer to be assessed or receive treatment, and then facing clock-watch services that do not give health and social care workers time to care. The number of home care visits lasting just 15 minutes has increased over the last five years. The core priorities for the next Labour government will be to raise living standards and save the NHS. To support people s living standards as they get older, we will protect the triple lock on the state pension, crack down on fraud and mis-selling of retirement income products, and tackle rising energy bills. We will implement an immediate plan to tackle the crisis facing the NHS and social care, by increasing the numbers of doctors, nurses and care workers and ensuring that they have time to care. This manifesto pledges to end the clock-watch social care culture that results in visits lasting only 15 minutes, and ensure peace of mind by guaranteeing a GP appointment within 48 hours and a cancer test within a week. Labour has a proud history of supporting the needs of families and older people. The next Labour Government will build on this record with a better plan to tackle the cost of living crisis, save the NHS, and ensure older people s voices are heard right across Government. Ed Miliband Rachel Reeves Andy Burnham 3

4 Introduction From the birth of our welfare state onwards, the British people have always believed that looking after people as they get older is one of the first responsibilities of government. Labour is proud of our record in supporting older people s living standards. During the last Labour government we introduced Pension Credit to boost the incomes of the worst off, and brought in new support for all pensioners through Winter Fuel Payments, free bus passes, and free TV licenses for over 75 year olds. With 1.9 million pensioners still living in poverty we know there is much further to go. But alongside the continued task of making sure that everyone has decent income as they grow old, older people face a new range of challenges. There is increasing concern about the potential for rip-offs and high charges to eat into hard earned savings as more people enrol into private pensions to provide for their retirement. And as living costs rise, pensioners want a government that stands up for them to ensure they get a fair deal in the markets they rely on for their everyday needs, such as electricity and gas. But perhaps of most concern to older people today is the state of the health service that many rely on. Over the last five years it has become harder to get the care people need. The Government implemented a top down reorganisation of the NHS at the same time as cost pressures were increasing. As a result there is a crisis in A&E, waiting lists for treatment are growing and it is getting harder to see a family doctor. The Government s cuts to social care have exacerbated these problems. Cuts to elderly care are making it harder for older people to get the care they need at home, meaning more end up in A&E. Meanwhile thousands of older people face inadequate 15 minute visits from care workers. This short changes those both giving and receiving this vital care, in a system where older people lack a champion to stand up for their needs. Labour has a better plan to support people as they get older. We will boost living standards, triple-locking the state pension so it rises by earnings, inflation or 2.5 per cent, whichever is highest, and make sure that savers get a good deal from the private pensions market. We have a better plan for an NHS with time to care. We will invest to recruit 8,000 more doctors, 20,000 more nurses, and 5,000 more home care workers, and we will work to end the scandal of 15 minute visits in social care. To make sure that older people s voices are heard at the heart of Government, we ll appoint a new Older People s Commissioner for England to champion their interests. 4

5 Labour s better plan for older people: Triple lock pensions so that they rise by earnings, inflation or 2.5 per cent, whichever is the highest. Implement a tough cap on fees and charges in the private pensions market. Restrict winter fuel payments for the richest five per cent of pensioners to help pay down the deficit, but guarantee no further changes to winter fuel payments, free TV licenses, or free bus passes. Guarantee a GP appointment within 48 hours. Join up services from home to hospital with a single point of contact for all who need it. End the culture of 15 minute care visits, and improve standards in the care industry. Support older workers who want to help care for their grandchildren, consulting on allowing grandparents to share in parents unpaid parental leave. Introduce an independent Commissioner for Older People in England. 5

6 1. Protecting pensioners living standards As people get older, having worked all their lives, they want to look forward to a comfortable retirement. But for many people life has got harder over the last five years. The cost-of-living crisis has seen pensioners hit by rising fuel bills. New flexibilities over how people access their pension incomes in retirement have been brought in without sufficient protection for savers from mis-selling and rip-offs, and action to protect those saving for a pension from excessive fees and charges has been too little too late. In Britain today: 1.9 million pensioners still live in poverty. Energy Bills have risen by 300 on average since The Government s failure to act on fees and charges in the pensions market has cost savers up to

7 1 Labour believes that our approach to older people must be based on a simple principle: that those who have worked hard, contributed to society, and played their part in our nation s success need to have their contribution recognised through a fair deal in retirement. Labour will ensure that everyone can look forward to a secure retirement where their living standards are protected. Labour will always stand up for pensioners, building on our record of helping thousands escape poverty. Millions of pensioners rely on the state pension, so we will triple-lock increases so that it always rises by earnings, inflation or 2.5 per cent, whichever is highest. Labour is also determined to make the private pensions market work for savers. We will ensure that all pension providers have a duty to put savers first, and implement a tough cap on fees and charges. We think it is right that savers have more choice over how to access their income for retirement, but we know that people are worried about how to get the best deal. That is why we have said that we will begin immediate consultations on plans for a cap on fees and charges for income drawdown products, with a focus on products bought from a saver s own pension provider. We will also take tough action to crack down on scammers who try and rip off people s savings, putting in place a new cross government taskforce to tackle fraud and scams, and introducing a new kite mark so that savers can know they are accessing properly regulated products. The last Labour Government supported older people s living standards by introducing Winter Fuel Payments, Free Bus Passes, and Free TV licenses for the over 75s. In tough times we think that it is right that the better off pay a little more to help pay down the national deficit, so we have taken the difficult decision to restrict the Winter Fuel Payment for the top five per cent of pensioners. But we will guarantee no further changes to Winter Fuel Payments, or to pensioners bus passes or TV licenses. We will also stick up for older people in the broken energy market. Rising electricity and gas bills are putting pensioner s incomes under increasing pressure. Under this Government, energy bills have been allowed to rise by over 300, leaving almost one in ten pensioners facing fuel poverty. Labour will freeze energy bills until 2017 while we reform the energy market, and give the regulator powers to cut bills this winter. We will also make it easier for older people to keep their homes warm, by ensuring at least 200,000 free energy efficiency improvements a year to households in or at risk of fuel poverty. Labour will: Triple lock pensions so that they rise by earnings, inflation or 2.5 per cent, whichever is the highest. Cap fees and charges in retirement income products. Restrict winter fuel payments for the richest five per cent of pensioners to help pay down the deficit, but guarantee no further changes to winter fuel payments, free TV licenses, or free bus passes. Freeze gas and electricity bills until 2017, allowing them to fall but not rise, while we reform the broken energy market. 7

8 2. An NHS with time to care 2 Older people need to know that the NHS will be there when they need it. But under this Government the NHS has faced increasing pressures and is under threat. There is a crisis in A&E, with new figures last week showing a 50 per cent rise in patients waiting over four hours in hospital A&Es. Hospitals are facing a severe shortage of nurses. People are waiting longer to see their family doctor and longer for treatment. of their choice. We will improve cancer treatment, guaranteeing cancer tests within one week and creating a new Cancer Treatments Fund to improve access to drugs, radiotherapy and surgery. And Labour will put patients before profits by repealing David Cameron s privatisation plans and capping the profits private firms can make from NHS contracts so that resources are spent on patient care. In Britain today: In the last 12 months, over a million people have waited more than four hours in A&E. Waiting lists for treatment are at their highest level for six years. One in four patients wait a week or more for a GP appointment. Labour will: Recruit 20,000 more nurses, 8,000 more GPs and 5,000 new home care workers. Guarantee a GP appointment within 48 hours. Guarantee cancer tests within one week. Labour, the party that created the NHS, is determined to rescue and rebuild it so that it is there when older people need it. Labour will put in place NHS Rescue Plan in our first months in office, which includes immediate action to address the current nursing crisis. Labour s Time to Care Fund will recruit 20,000 more nurses, 8,000 more GPs, 5,000 new home care workers and 3,000 more midwives, funded by a mansion tax on properties worth over 2 million, cracking down on tax avoidance and a levy on tobacco companies. Investment in new staff will help us improve access to care, guaranteeing GP appointments within 48 hours, and ensuring patients have the right to book more than 48 hours ahead with the GP 8

9 3. A better plan for social care 3 Older people know how vital the social care system is for them and their family. But over the last five years, deep cuts to local authority budgets that pay for social care have left the system close to collapse. This means more pressure on the NHS, particularly in A&E departments. With an ageing population the pressures on social care are growing. There is evidence that thousands of care workers are being paid less than the minimum wage, lack training and are employed on zero-hours contracts. This is undermining care standards, and putting family carers under greater pressure to fill the gap. These relatives and friends do amazing work that too often goes unrecognised. In Britain today: 300,000 fewer older people are receiving care since Many more face inadequate 15 minute visits from home care workers. There are 6.5 million unpaid carers, many of whom receive no support. Labour knows that we need a bold response to meet the needs of an ageing population; a genuinely integrated NHS and social care system which helps older people to stay healthy and live independently in their own homes for as long as possible. Our plan to join up services from home to hospital will mean that more can be done early to prevent illness or step in to prevent problems getting worse. We will introduce a system of safety checks for older people who are vulnerable, identifying risks to their health and preventing problems such as loneliness and depression from escalating. And we ll give people with complex conditions a single point of contact for their care, and a personalised care plan, developed with them and their family, and tailored to personal circumstances. At present, the way our social care system works is letting down both the older people who rely on it, and those responsible for delivering vital care. So Labour will work to improve standards in the care sector, ending the culture of 15 minute care slots, by improving commissioning practices, tackling workforce exploitation and increasing training opportunities. This includes measures to ban exploitative zero-hours contracts, strengthen enforcement of the National Minimum Wage, and create new apprenticeships and more opportunities for progression to ensure the care workforce has the skills they need to provide high standards of care. Labour supports measures to cap the costs of care, because people need a fairer deal and protection against catastrophic costs of care at the end of their lives. We also need to do far more to support the unpaid carers who make a vital contribution to Britain today. For too long, family carers have been invisible in the system, without the support they need. Labour will introduce a new duty on GPs and hospitals to identify family carers, so they get the right support, and a new right for carers to ask for an annual health check. We will ring fence the money councils receive for Carers Breaks to ensure that at least 130m a year is spent on breaks to help with respite care. And 9

10 we will abolish the bedroom tax which has hit 60,000 carers, penalising them for the extra facilities they need. Labour will: Join up services from home to hospital with a single point of contact for all who need it. End the culture of 15 minute care visits, and improve standards in the care industry. Ring fence the funding needed to ensure carers get the respite breaks they need. 10

11 4. Active later lives 4 Older people have a huge amount to contribute, but too often are held back by a system that doesn t give them the respect they deserve. Many face active discrimination in the workplace and are under-represented in the media and in public life. The welfare-to-work system does not offer tailored support for older people, and an outdated family leave system fails to recognise the valuable role many play in caring for their grandchildren. These problems mean that many people are seeing their desire to play full role in society frustrated as they get older. In Britain today: Older people, and particularly older women are under-represented in public life. For example, Labour s Older Women s Commission found that just five per cent of journalists are women over million grandparents have given up a job, reduced their hours, or taken time off work to look after their grandchildren. The last Government s failed Work Programme has helped just one in seven over 50s into work. Labour believes that no-one should be held back from making a contribution simply because of their age, and that Government can do more to support older people to play an active role. We think it is right that as life expectancy increases, the state pension age rises too. But we will ensure that reviews of the retirement age look at the impact on different groups of people, including for example those working physically demanding roles like construction, and ensure people have time to plan. And we will ensure that no-one faces discrimination that forces them out of the workplace, by implementing the dual discrimination provisions of the Equality Act which help protect those who may face discrimination because of more than one characteristic, for example, both age and gender, or age and disability. We will do more to support people who have lost their job, with a higher rate of Jobseeker s Allowance for those who have paid in over the years, funded by asking people to contribute for a little longer in order to qualify. We will guarantee a paid job for all adults who have been out of work for two years, to ensure they can no longer spend years out of touch with the world of work. The normal requirements to take up a reasonable job offer will apply. Labour will also reform the Work Programme to provide more tailored support, working with local authorities to commission employment support that links with opportunities in the local labour market. Many grandparents are increasingly supporting their children to juggle work and childcare. More than half of all mothers rely on grandparents for childcare when they first go back to work after maternity leave, while two-thirds of grandparents with grandchildren aged under-16 provide some childcare. However public policy has not kept up with the reality of families lives, with too many grandparents finding there is no flexibility at work when they want to help care for their grandkids. Labour will consult on what flexibilities would make the system work better for families and businesses given changing these patterns of care, including allowing grandparents who want 11

12 to be more involved in caring for their grandchildren to share in parents unpaid parental leave, enabling them to take time off work without fear of losing their job. Labour will: Strengthen the law against discrimination at work. Give better support to older people who lose their job, including a higher Jobseeker s Allowance for those who have contributed over the years. Support older workers who want to help care for their grandchildren, consulting on what flexibilities would work make the system work better for families and businesses given changing patterns of care, including allowing grandparents who want to be more involved in caring for their grandchildren to share in parents unpaid parental leave. 12

13 5. Giving older people a voice 5 Old age is still too often seen as something to fear rather than to look forward to. Many people remain worried that ageing will be accompanied by discrimination at work, loneliness at home, and an inability to find or afford the care and support they need. Labour in government recognised these concerns. Alongside measures to boost pensioner incomes we legislated against age discrimination, and invested in our NHS to ensure that it would always be there when people need it. In 2000 we appointed an Older People s Tsar at the Department for Health in 2000, and in 2008 we asked Dame Joan Bakewell to act as a voice for older people across Government. But with an ageing population, we need to go further to ensure that older people have a champion who will stick up for their interests right across Government. Labour is proud of our record in appointing the first ever Children s Commissioner in 2005, to make sure that children s rights are upheld. We want to build on this model, appointing a new Independent Commissioner for Older People in England. This would build on the success of Older People s Commissioners in Wales and Northern Ireland, and ensure older people have a strong voice at the heart of Government. The commissioner will have responsibility for: Promoting awareness of the rights and interests of older people in England Challenging discrimination against older people in England. Encouraging best practice in the treatment of older people, including in our health and social care services. 13

14 6902_15 Reproduced from electronic media, promoted by Iain McNicol, General Secretary, the Labour Party, on behalf of the Labour Party, both at One Brewer s Green, London SW1H 0RH.