Caption: Ed Moses, director for Care and Transformation at the Department of Health and Social Care
The long-awaited Social Care Green Paper will be published by April, the government has announced.
Speaking at the Westminster Health Forum’s seminar on the Next Steps for Adult Social Care in London yesterday, Ed Moses, director for Care and Transformation at the Department of Health and Social Care said the delayed paper will be released in the “coming weeks, rather than lots of months”.
He explained that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said in Parliament last Monday that the paper will be published “by April”, but made it clear that he “wants it out as soon as possible”.
The green paper was initially supposed to be published last summer, before being delayed until the autumn, to coincide with the NHS long-term plan.
Then in December, it was announced that its release would be delayed until the New Year.
Explaining the delay, Moses said: “We know that people who use health and social care services don’t necessarily distinguish between the NHS and the social care services they might receive, and that’s precisely why the decision was taken last year to hold off on publishing the green paper until the NHS 10-year Plan came forward. We have been developing both in tandem.”
