Article on Supporting Innovation in the UK: Care Act 2014

Bernadette Richards published an Article entitled, Supporting Innovation in the UK: Care Act 2014, Elder Law eJournal (2015). Provided below is an abstract of the Article.

The Care Act 2014 becomes law in England in April 2015. The statutory reform of social care for adults in England that led to the Act was announced by the Law Commission in its Tenth Programme of Law Reform (2008). The Commission explains:

The legislative framework for adult residential care, community care and support for carers is in adequate, often incomprehensible and outdated. It remains a confusing patchwork of conflicting statues enacted over a period of 50 years (Law Commission 2008, 10).

Prior to reform, more than 30 Acts of Parliament were relevant to adult social care (Law Commission 2010, viii). The Commission highlights that the outdated nature of legislation risks “stifling innovation” and efforts to promote “flexibility and new policy approaches in practice” (Law Commission 2010, 2). Hence its intention to produce a “single, modern statute to which service providers and service users can look to understand whether services can or should be provided” (Law Commission 2008, 10f).