The Dilnot Commission pt 2 – what it means for people with disabilities

Before Monday’s publication of the Dilnot Commission report into social care funding, many were concerned that the Commission’s recommendations would focus heavily on elderly people, and sideline the millions of adults of working age with learning disabilities, mental health needs or physical disabilities. They also rely on support to live full lives and contribute to their communities, but are often overlooked in debates on social care.

And in fact, early media reports on Monday may have caused a lot of people’s hearts to sink, so universally did the press focus on the elderly. Fortunately, when the full report was published at 11am, it became obvious that the Commission had exceeded expectations, both in their focus on people with disabilities, and the deal that they recommended for them. This shows what a good choice it was to have former Mencap chief executive Dame Jo Williams on the Commission, someone able to speak out passionately on behalf of the millions of people with disabilities.

The best news is that – in effect – all people who enter adulthood with disabilities will have their care and support paid for by the state. Currently, anyone fortunate enough to be able to inherit or earn money must pay vast sums for their support, one of key reasons disabled people are so disproportionately poor. This will no longer happen. As the report notes, people who have a disability from birth or a young age “cannot be expected to have planned in the same way as older people” to save for their support costs. Another bit of welcome good news is that universal disability benefits will remain in place.

We were also very encouraged to see how the Commission defines social care, making it absolutely clear that support isn’t just about basic care or safeguarding, but about helping people flourish in all aspects of their life. As the Commission says, “It helps people to sustain employment in paid or unpaid work, education, learning, leisure and other social support systems. It supports people in building social relationships and participating fully in society.” These are all things that United Response believes are of immeasurable importance, and we applaud the Commission for their understanding of what social care can do.

We have been one of many organisations campaigning hard for a change to the current rules on eligibility criteria, which vary massively between local authorities, so that a person with a learning disability would receive vital support in one borough, but would not just five miles down the road. This is clearly unfair, and we are very pleased that the report recommends a national system for assessing eligibility for support. We are disappointed that the Commission appears not to insist that people with mild to moderate needs should receive support, and will be speaking out on this in the future. But the future – and chiefly the fate of these vital recommendations – will be the topic of the next blog.

Jaime Gill, head of press and public affairs.