The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of England General Synod have called for a “national covenant on social care” that would give clear responsibilities in adult social care to families, communities and both local and national government.
Prior to her calling to ordination, Archbishop Sarah Mullally served as England’s Chief Nursing Officer.
Speaking as the newly installed Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah said the current care system was "not working".
She emphasised the importance of care work, but added that two million people over the age of 65 and 1.5 million people of working age are currently not receiving the care they need.
“Care delivered well can be transformative and enables us to live lives to the full … However too many struggle to access the care that they need," she said.
With local authorities struggling to give the required help, the burden of care often falls upon unpaid carers.
Dame Sarah told the General Synod, “I want to recognise the hard work that unpaid carers give day after day.”
Research has suggested that many unpaid carers work up to 90 hours or more per week.
The Synod supported “a new deal for unpaid carers” that would provide them with practical, financial and emotional support. The plan also envisions the government issuing a guarantee for “universal access to care and support” and financial assistance with the cost of care.
Under the plan, the Church of England would also run its own network of venues up and down the nation for people to receive support and a sense of community.
The Archbishop said, “[The Archbishops’ Commission on social care] called for a covenant because that concept includes more than just impersonal transactions. It represents a relationship and an obligation between people.
"A covenant is a statement of solidarity with others, it is a pledge to work together with one another, towards a common goal, even when that work becomes hard and complex.”
She continued, "Synod, our care system is not working - in large part because our society has forgotten that living in community requires all to contribute and to receive.
"The Commission reminded us that there is inherent dignity in every human being. All are made in the image of God - and that dignity is not eroded by disability, illness or the need for care."
She also called upon the Church to be clear that people are not merely “economic units for productivity, but people, people worthy of access to care and support which each one of us will require in our lives at some point".
