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The Government is considering a new kind of care system that operates with credits. The system would award volunteers who help the elderly or disabled time credits, which they could then use later in life for their own care. The system, which has been successful in Japan, would essentially let volunteer caregivers ‘bank’ the hours they dedicate to helping, then use it later for either themselves or someone else.
Referring to the effectiveness that the Japanese care system has enjoyed since 1991, Paul Burstow, Minister of Care Services, says this could potentially “enable communities to take social care responsibilities on for themselves”. In Japan, different tasks allow volunteers to redeem varying amounts of credits. For example, carers earn more during inconvenient hours or when helping with personal body care.
The Government is even exploring a nationwide electronic clearing network for care credits. This would allow a person volunteering help in another country to make their credits available to, say, their parents someplace else.
Similar types of schemes do already exist in the UK. One example is time banking, which allows people to share time and effort, whereby one can earn an hour of time credit—to spend as they need—by donating one hour of time.
Voluntary groups are already stressing that volunteers must nevertheless be fully and appropriately trained, and that access to care was a right that all elderly and disabled people have.
The details of care service reforms are due to be outlined in the upcoming public health White Paper.
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