A collective groan greeted the rumour that the government will announce yet another royal commission on social care. The fear is that it just kicks this problem into the blue yonder; it was Harold Wilson who jibed that royal commissions “take minutes and waste years”, which can be politically convenient.
The world of the NHS and local government needs a resolution to the care crisis: 250,000 people wait for a care assessment and almost 30,000 a year die waiting while councils go bankrupt because of soaring care cases and NHS beds are blocked for lack of care in the community. Everyone concerned already knows exactly what is needed: urgent funding and a pay and career path to attract new care staff.
