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Campaign to end the care crisis

We're campaigning for urgent reform of the care and support system in England.

Older and disabled people and their families are going without essential care and often face catastrophic care bills.

Contact your MP and tell them why we need urgent changes to the care system in England.

We're working with 50 other charities, as part of the Care and Support Alliance, to call for reform of adult social care.

In May 2012 this open letter to the Prime Minister (PDF, 37KB) was published on the front page of the Daily Mail.

Our chief executive, Steve Ford was a co-signatory along with 84 other organisations, charities, council and NHS leadership and care providers. It called on the Prime Minister to make it his personal mission to reform social care.

Take action

Email your MP

Use our simple online form to ask your MP to write to the Prime Minister and demand urgent reform of the social care system.

It's vital that the Government includes the recommendations made by the Dilnot Commission and the Law Commission when they publish their social care plan. This had been expected in April 2012 but is still to be published.

Tweet at Number 10

If you're on Twitter, why not tweet? Call for urgent action on the care crisis by tweeting at the Prime Minister - @Number10gov with the hashtags #CareCantWait and #carecrisis

Sign Age UK's Care in Crisis petition

Our colleagues at Age UK have set up a Care in Crisis petition. Can you help them reach 150,000 signatures?

Why campaign now?

The Government has promised an action plan for reform in spring 2012.

Two welcome reports have been published that could lead to a much fairer system of social care in England.

The changes could lead to people paying less for their care and greater entitlements to support.

The Dilnot Commission report recommends a 'cap' on the cost that an individual will pay for care and a more generous means test.

The Law Commission's set of recommendations on adult social care law include more rights for carers and national criteria to clarify the law on what care and support people are entitled to.

The Government has also run a listening exercise - Caring for our future. It is now considering the results of this exercise, and has promised to publish an action plan for reform in spring 2012 based on this and the two commission reports.

Social care for people with Parkinson's

My dad's exhausted most of his savings paying for his care in a nursing home. He's been refused NHS 'continuing care'.

This is grossly unfair.

Daughter of someone with Parkinson's

The type of social care people with Parkinson's need can include:

  • personal care and practical help in their own home
  • aids and adaptations to help people keep independent
  • supportive environments such as day centres and residential care homes

Our 2008 members' survey found, however, that many people with Parkinson's were not getting the care and support they need.

There was also huge variation in services depending on where people lived.

Since our survey, there have been more cuts to social care. This means even more people are not getting help, and there are concerns about the quality and cost of services.

Our work on social care policy

Read more about our work and submissions on these issues:

Other ways to get involved

The more that the issues are ignored, the fewer people affected by Parkinson's will get support and the worse care services will get. We need your help.

  • Share your experience of social care services (good and bad) with us. Email campaigns@parkinsons.org.uk or call us on 020 7963 9307.
  • Sign up to our Campaigns Network - we'll keep you updated on our social care campaigning work.