Few of us have much, if any, awareness of our chances of needing care, what it would be like or how much it would cost.

integrated care for the increasing numbers of people who have a mixture of physical and mental health conditions,

How should good care and support be provided and by whom?

One interpretation of these high satisfaction ratings is that the declining numbers of people who actually get into the publicly funded system have a relatively good experience but at the expense of those who fall outside it.

It can involve needing a lot of support with personal care – ‘activities of daily living’ in the jargon – typically help with getting in and out of bed, getting dressed, having a shower or a bath; or it might be short-term help to get back on our feet after a spell of illness or hospitalisation.

It isn’t about quality of life. It’s about making sure somebody is clean and making sure they are fed. That takes the joy out of care work. It’s hard for people to do that job. It is not a valued job.

‘My Aged Care’ platform.

positive innovations through new services such as direct payments and personal budgets (which people use to shape their own support for example by employing their own personal assistants – PAs – instead of services contracted by the council); ‘shared lives’ schemes (involving people sharing their home with someone who needs support) and the expansi

a new funding settlement that positions social care as a major public service in its own right, on a par with other universal services such as education and health care.