Responding to the Prime Minister’s Party Conference speech, Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) says:
'We welcome the Prime Minister’s ambitious plans for social care reform and his commitment to building a system that puts people before profit, something long at the heart of VODG’s mission and vision for a thriving voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector best positioned to deliver the services disabled people of all ages need.
'We are also pleased to see The Prime Minister recognise our vital social care workforce and the highly skilled nature of the job they do. Those working across the sector provide essential support, drive innovation and strengthen our communities. Yet too many remain poorly paid and under-valued. Any future National Care Service must invest in and reward the people needed to make it a success.
'While we are hopeful about what has been announced, we know that achieving meaningful reform will not be easy. There is a great deal to do to ensure a National Care Service delivers the national assurance, frameworks and standards needed that enable local, outcomes-based provision to thrive. If the Government is serious about making a National Care Service a reality, it is imperative that disabled people are not an afterthought.
'This means working in genuine partnership with disabled people, families, carers, the social care workforce and VCFSE organisations to turn this ambition into lasting change. VODG and our members are ready to work with government to shape a system fit for the future.'