Issues
Health and Social Care
London’s Jewish community is considered one of the most vibrant and well-established faith groups monitored in the capital, but over 40% of the community are over 50, significantly higher than the London average, with twice the number of people over 60 compared to the general UK population. As such, the effects of an ageing population are being disproportionately felt by the Jewish community and its social care providers.1 & 2
The majority of Jewish Londoners entering long-term care prefer to access services from Jewish providers such as Jewish Care, Norwood and Nightingale Hammerson, ensuring they can enjoy care that provides for and is in tune with their religious and cultural sensitivities.2
However, Jewish social care, adult and learning disabled support including mental health services continue to be under-funded by local authorities in London, with some showing little understanding for the importance of culturally specific services.
Other local authorities are reluctant to contribute to the care of a resident when he or she chooses to leave local authority social care in search of a culturally sensitive provider.2
The community itself continues to fundraise and provide the largest supplementary source of income for social care providers, as well as a significant volunteer base, but a combination of ever increasing costs and dwindling state support has nonetheless caused severe funding issues for the community’s social care providers. The Local Government Association estimates that gap between social care funding and demand will reach nearly £6.5 billion nationally by the end of 2025.
The Mayor can champion faith social care providers, including Jewish social care providers, by encouraging boroughs to work across boundaries to ensure that such provision is available for service users, whether or not they have been resident close to Jewish care facilities.
While the GLA’s support for a London Living Wage is a welcome boost for the lowest-paid, there must be a recognition that this has an impact on social care providers. Any commitment to raising wages must be matched by advocacy for increased governmental funding for social care in recognition of the increasing costs of provision.
We’re asking London’s politicians to support the following pledges:
Pledge 1:
To ensure that the increased costs associated with specialist Jewish social care provision are recognised and supported in relation to state funding.
Pledge 3:
City Hall should advocate for recognition that increased costs associated with specialist Jewish social care provision represent value for money in delivering outcomes regarding wellbeing and combatting social isolation.
Pledge 2:
To monitor and ensure that all councils who choose to raise a 2% social care precept on local council tax use the additional funds for the purpose of social care and none other.
Pledge 4:
Given the GLA’s commitment to a London Living Wage, there is a duty on the Mayor to be a high profile advocate for increased spending on social care, in recognition of the financial reality living wages create.
1 Jews in the United Kingdom in 2013, JPR
2 An agenda for aging well in the Jewish Community, Jewish Care
3 Adult social care funding: 2014 state of the nation report, LGA