An alliance of long-term care groups and campaigners has created a six-point plan calling for urgent and significant reform of the country's "unfair system".
The group, which includes Saga, the Stroke Association and campaigner Baroness Greengross, said it had come to an agreed position and wanted the government to consider its plan ahead of its final white paper on social care reform.
The group said social care is in crisis and “tinkering” with bits of the system will not work.
Its six-point plan said the country needed:
1. A new national system for social care
2. National provision of information and sign posted advice
3. Extra funding for care system
4. Ensure that additional funding intended for adult social care is spent on adult social care.
5. Government to clarify what responsibility individuals have for social care needs - in a Dilnot-style partnership approach.
6. Immediate action.
Ros Altmann, director- general of Saga, said: "We now call on the government to be bold, not to duck this difficult issue and to address the unfairness of the current care funding system. This is about families and communities who are having to pick up the pieces of our inadequate system.
“The Prime Minister has urged as many people as possible to visit their MPs to express their concerns about the current system. It is vital that this issue is pushed up the political agenda."
The group said it been working together over a series of months to come up with the agreed plan. It called on ministers and MPs to “seize this opportunity for radical change”.
The other members of the group are: Association of Directors of Adult Social Services; English Community Care Association; Four Seasons Health Care; Jewish Care; Shared Lives; the UK Homecare Association; and the International Longevity Centre.
