The day long conference, chaired by Dame Denise Platt, ended with a message which saw more grounds for agreement between the wide mixture of statutory health and social care organisations, as well as voluntary sector organisations, who attended.

According to ADASS President Jenny Owen, "we are well over three-quarters of the way to achieving what could be the basis of a cross-party agreement to fix high quality social care services onto a manageable and sustainable basis for the medium to long term."

ADASS particularly welcomes participants' agreement that social care should:

• Work towards each user having an assessment that can be applicable in whatever part of the country he or she moves to,
• Continue to uphold and work to implement the principles of Personalisation,
• Enhance the benefits that can be gained by joining up current health, housing and benefits systems with social care services, Continue to value and improve the contribution of carers to the overall social care task.

Ms Owen said: "these objectives should lead towards a solution which will mirror the so-called Comprehensive System outlined in the Government's Green Paper on adult social care. Today's agreements pave the way to a national care system which stresses the vital role of carers, families and communities, and which will be delivered locally with local government playing a pivotal role in the lead.

"Today's deliberations took us closer than ever before to giving a mandate to politicians to work towards achieving cross-party unity alongside this emerging consensus on care and support."

ENDS