Carers and social care reform

That this House believes that everyone deserves high-quality care when they need it and that unpaid carers are the unsung heroes of our social care system; regrets that hundreds of thousands of people are waiting for care and many remain in hospital beds simply because there is no care available, putting additional pressure on the NHS; supports the introduction of free personal care, so provision is based on need not ability to pay; calls for a workforce plan, a Royal College of Care Workers, a national care agency and a higher Carer’s Minimum Wage to raise professional standards; urges the Government to honour the Carer’s Leave Act 2023 by introducing paid carer’s leave and statutory respite breaks; supports increasing Carer’s Allowance and expanding its eligibility, making caring a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, and introducing a Young Carers Pupil Premium; backs a digital care strategy to enable greater independence; welcomes the cross-party commission on social care funding but urges Ministers to act within a year, not three; recognises that investing in social care helps people avoid entering care in crisis, reduces spiralling personal and public costs, eases pressure on NHS services, and ensures everyone receives high-quality care when they need it; and calls on the Government to end its broken promises and fix a system where families face crippling costs in paying for care and where reform has been delayed for over a decade.