• WHILE people are living longer, the number who receive social care has shrunk to 26 per cent since 2010. Council budgets have been hit by a government which uses austerity measures ideologically as a tool to roll back the welfare state.

These cutbacks have a dramatic effect on the most vulnerable, the older and disabled people who depend on social care. Before the Budget, the government, through NHS England, introduced proposals to impose a new scheme, called integrated care provider (ICP) contracts.

There was a not-so-well-advertised brief consultation period for the public to give their views, conveniently between the August holiday season and October. If the ICP is to go ahead it will fragment services by splitting social care into “business units”, which will deliver more privatisation than we’ve yet seen, on an American model.

Islington Trades Union Council sent our response on the ICP to NHS Consultation, making clear our strong opposition to these plans. We had representatives who joined with Keep our NHS Public and other campaigns and health unions at a demonstration outside Parliament last month.

We were joined by the National Pensioners Convention, Islington Labour councillors and MPs. We stand united in our attempts to stop Tory plans to increase privatisation and disintegrate our NHS.

MICK GILGUNN
Secretary, Islington Trades Union Council