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Boris Johnson has defied the sceptics and done just that with Brexit.
Voters clearly believe he will do it again when it comes to ‘levelling up’ as evidenced by his stunning victory in Hartlepool last week.
But one thing was missing from yesterday’s otherwise packed Queen’s Speech: concrete plans on social care.
If ever there was an area we need the same bulldozer spirit to crack a problem that has been ducked by government after government, it is the way we look after older people.
I share part of the responsibility for that lack of progress: as health secretary I took legislation through the House of Commons in 2014 to establish a cap on care costs that would mean people didn’t have to sell their home.
Boris Johnson devoted nine words to social care in yesterday s Queen s Speech Proposals on social care reform will be brought forward, was the only mention
No 10 and Treasury unable to agree plan to limit amount pension s pay for care
Figures show 10,000 further people have been financially crippled by care crisis
Mr Johnson promised quick reform when he became Prime Minister in July 2019
Last modified on Sat 1 May 2021 11.18 EDT
Experts have warned of backlogs of undiagnosed dementia cases and worsening standards of care after official figures revealed a collapse in assessing and monitoring patients in England during the pandemic.
NHS data shows the number of people who were assessed for dementia has fallen to less than half the level before the pandemic – 10,535 in February 2021 compared to 23,392 in February 2020.
In that time, the number of people receiving an initial memory assessment fell by two-thirds, while the number of referrals to memory clinics – which help diagnose dementia – fell by 42%.
Partly as a result, the total number of patients aged over 65 with a dementia diagnosis fell by just over 43,000 – a drop of 10%.
Charity Alzheimer s Society is urging local authorities to stop playing hard ball over paying council tax discounts to households where a family member has dementia.
It believes too many councils are not classifying those hit by Alzheimer s as having a severe mental impairment.
As a result, households are missing out on a 25 per cent discount normally granted when people fall into this group.
Unfair: Alzheimer s Society believes too many councils are not classifying those hit by dementia as having a severe mental impairment
The problem stems from the fact that the legal definition of severe mental impairment is open to interpretation.