Baroness Louise Casey, chair of the independent commission on adult social care, has described the experience of trying to get help from England's care system as 'horrendous'.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Baroness Casey stated that the care system relies on the exploitation of its workforce and is fragile and divided.
She explained that people spend hours and weeks trying to sort out care for their family, dealing with multiple letters, assessments, and financial assessments.
Need for Fundamental Change
Baroness Casey believes that cross-party political support is needed to bring about the fundamental change required to fix the care system.
She will deliver her first assessment of the problems to an audience of health and care professionals at a conference in Windsor on Thursday afternoon.
Systemic Issues
Baroness Casey pointed to a total reliance nationally on underpaying care workers and an imbalance in power between the NHS and council-run social care.
She noted that some care workers earn less than the minimum wage and are often not paid for travel or holidays.
Examples of a Failing System
Baroness Casey cited the difficulties faced by people with dementia or Motor Neurone Disease in getting the right care as examples of a failing system.
Families of those with dementia often bear the brunt with little information or support, and people diagnosed with MND face multiple assessments and means tests.
Future Plans
The independent commission, which started work last summer, is due to produce a report this year with a plan for creating a National Care Service.
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said Baroness Casey was 'right to highlight how broken the care system is' and criticized the government for dragging its feet on the issue.
