As Robert Shrimsley relates in his column “Reeves and the limits of clever politics” (Opinion, August 1), Tony Blair convened a royal commission on long-term care in 1997 when he became prime minister. I was its secretary, working under the much-missed Professor Lord (Stewart) Sutherland.
The task, even then, was urgent and the risks of inaction huge. We gathered evidence from and questioned providers, care workers, economists, insurers and politicians. We looked carefully at the good, the bad and the ugly experiences from other countries. The plan we published was costed and practical: pool the risk that was otherwise uninsurable, act ahead of the demographic curve and then costs would be affordable and care quality high. Nothing was done. It was clear that the government hoped for an easy, cost-free plan, and this did not fit the bill.
This pattern has been repeated for 25 years and the time bomb has once more been placed in the “too difficult” box. We are long past the stage where this issue can be safely ignored.
Without a resolution the current care sector, local government and the NHS itself will simply fall over. And vulnerable people will suffer.
Alan Davey
Former Secretary, Royal Commission on Long Term Care 1997
London SE24, UK
