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New Minister for Social Care

Well, we’ve certainly lost an ally with Ivan Lewis’ departure from the Department of Health. Not one generally impressed with MPs and the distance they tend to go to any lengths to keep other people at (Charles Clarke is a scorching example), I met Ivan Lewis at Peter Beresford’s Shaping our Lives 10th birthday party a couple of years ago and found him natural, genuine and caring about the dire level of social care in this country. All of us at the party were service users and Ivan Lewis mingled and nattered without side or affectation. I thought him fighter for people’s rights - probably the reason Brown has had him removed: there is a internal friction there at present around social care finance.

Ivan Lewis was Junior Minister. The new guy, Phil Hope, MP for Corby has been made a full Minister for Social Care and he will also carry the Mental Health portfolio. His website tells us his qualifications are in teaching and he has been much involved in learning and skills and particularly in youth development. He has, apparently, done quite a bit of work with “equality, empowerment and ethical practice” so perhaps that promises something.

So what on earth does he know about social care and especially mental health? Will he care about us service users and carers and listen to us, or will he just lecture us and teach us the error of our ways? Ivan Lewis did know. His grounding was in social work. The future can certainly be said to be Hopeful in one way. But the other?

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