SOCIAL CARE

With people living longer, it is crucial that as a society we provide support to those in their later years.

We have all read horror stories in the media about people having to sell their homes to pay for their care in later life or those struggling to make ends meet because of social care charges.

Often they are those that have worked and saved all their lives and then are penalised financially. That cannot be right.

So I’m delighted that Plaid Cymru is leading the way in dealing with social care charges for the elderly and those with dementia. This involves delivering free non-residential personal care for older people within the first two years of a Plaid Cymru government and scrapping nursing and residential care charges for those with dementia within five years.

And the proposals also include abolishing all social care charges for the elderly within the second term of a Plaid Cymru government. These are ambitious but deliverable. We must remove financial barriers to care for those that now need support.

Plaid Cymru will also scrap local health boards, integrating all community health and social care, with one National Hospital Board responsible for running Wales’ hospitals.

Last week in the Senedd as Plaid Cymru’s social services spokesman, I was pleased that the Labour Welsh Government backed down and did not oppose an amendment to

The Regulation and Inspection of Social Care Bill. The amendment ensures those care workers calling at homes spend a minimum of 30 minutes with their clients.

Currently, visits can be as little as ten minutes, which can mean that care workers are have to make decisions over the priority for tasks such as helping someone to wash, take medication or prepare a meal.

But I was disappointed at both Labour and the Conservatives for blocking my attempt to ban zero hours contracts for social care workers.

Since last year Plaid Cymru AMs have been trying to protect workers and introduce rights for employees.

During his recent election campaign, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pledged to ban zero-hours contracts and also place a weekly minimum for hours on contracts.

So it was disappointing that my amendment to the care bill was voted down in committee.

The Welsh Government has the ability to change commissioning practices to stop zero hour contracts so it is truly frustrating that the government continues not to do so.