Author Archives: Simon Allen

Simon Allen

Opinion: Liberal Democrats : the party of social work and social care?

By Simon Allen | Mon 27th October 2014 - 9:27 am

Stay Well At Home Service, Evesham, BritainFirstly, I must admit that I have an interest in this subject; not only as Lead Member for Adult Social Care, and as Chair of our local Health & Wellbeing Board, but as a registered, practising social worker. This week NHS England set out an ambitious vision for the NHS over the coming five years. A vision which breaks down the barriers between GP’s and hospital care, which moves more healthcare back into the communities which desperately need it and places public health front and centre in a bid to create a Health Service fit for the 21st century.

Local government is mentioned numerous times in this visionary document. Our recently returned responsibility for Public Health will become even more significant over the next 5 years. The roles and responsibilities of Health and Wellbeing Boards are discussed as possible conduits for local commissioning and decision making. All welcome and in line with our Liberal Democratic view of the world. In this field of policy we as a party have made huge strides in the Department of Health through Paul Burstow and Norman Lamb; integrating budgets, mental health waiting times, carers’ rights and, fundamentally, the Care Act.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 6 Comments
Simon Allen

Opinion: We must make the Care and Support Bill a reality

By Simon Allen | Sat 29th September 2012 - 1:18 pm

Much of the talk at the Autumn Conference in Brighton has rightly centred on the economy and we, in my opinion, are rightly sticking to Plan A and not being deviated towards Plan B or Plan V.

However, we as Liberal Democrats in government and on the ground have another area of policy in which we can make a significant and lasting change in this parliament. Social Care is not a sexy subject, it is not often at the forefront of people’s minds nor does it command a full chamber in parliament but it is vital to a liberal, fair and …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 2 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • William Wallace
    Roz: This is exactly what we need to get us all thinking. I would add that we need to rethink our approach to political economy. Liberal democracy is easiest t...
  • expats
    @ Catherine Hodgkinson 24th Aug '26 - 2:16pm Trump keeps stating, without ever producing proof, that his Tariffs are working.. However, .Pulitzer Priz...
  • David Allen
    @cim Good post. I guess what we're both identifying is that neither an "establishment" nor an "insurgent" position is good enough. The trick must be to pro...
  • David Raw
    @ Catherine Hodgkinson Completely agree, although I suspect Mark Carney is perfectly capable of looking after himself (and Canada)....
  • Catherine Hodgkinson
    I am only posting this here because I don’t know where else to vent my frustration. Canada is being increasingly bullied by Trump and,yet we are hearing nothi...