Social care reform in 2028 not soon enough says former care minister Sir Norman Lamb
Watch Andy Ward's report on ITV News Anglia
A former care minister is urging the government to speed up its plans to reform the social care system in England, saying change is needed now.
An independent commission will begin work in April to look at issues facing the current setup, though it is not due to publish its final report until 2028.
However, those in the sector in the East of England - including charity bosses and carers - say that more urgent action is required to address existing problems.
The former care minister and North Norfolk MP, Sir Norman Lamb told ITV News Anglia: "The social care system is in a pretty awful state. There are so many people who need help now."
He believes no change will be implemented until after the next election, effectively leaving those who currently care for the disabled or elderly in limbo.
"We know that the system needs more money, it's a question of how we raise that money," he said.
"If you don't sort out social care it has a massive impact on the NHS. They are talking about a national care service but actually what we ought to be doing is bringing health and care together."
Sir Norman added said: "Tony Blair rightly set up a Royal Commission in 1999 to sort out the future of social care; it's going to be 30 years since then before anything happens.
"There's been so many white papers, government proposals that go out for consultation and nothing happens. No wonder the public lose faith in politicians."
Sir Norman Lamb visited the ITV News Anglia studio as he discussed his reaction to the proposals
The feeling was echoed by Melanie Pittock, chief executive of Age UK in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
"Three-and-a-half years is absolutely not soon enough. We need to recognise the value of social care and recognise that the people working in social care are actually doing an amazing job," she said.
"I would like the government to see this as an urgent priority.
"It's great that it's out in the public domain and they are suggesting that it's something that needs to be improved but actually it needs to be improved today - those steps need to be much, much quicker."
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting has defended the timescale, admitting it will likely to take three years before changes are felt but is promising that work will be happening in the background during this time.
That change cannot come soon enough for the likes of 73-year-old Norman Phillips, from Hertfordshire, who cares for his wife Ros.
"They're promising us that something may happen in three years: it'll have sunk in three years," he told ITV News. "We're at crisis now. There isn't three years to wait for a solution.
"Trying to look after someone 24 hours a day when they have no sleep pattern is relentless; it just grinds you down. You're not looking after a loved one, it becomes a chore; you don't want it to be, but it wears you out.
Baroness Louise Casey has been tasked by the government with unpicking the current system and advising on future change.
With a career which spanned high profile roles within the homeless sector, spearheading anti-social behaviour initiatives and trying to break cyclical generational issues within troubled families on national level, Baroness Casey is widely regarded as a straight-talker.
Mr Streeting said: "If anyone is going to help us to break the cycle of bad politics, knock heads together, and forge the national consensus I think we need on social care, it is Louise Casey."Ms Pittock from Age UK, however hopes the review can be completed sooner.
"2028 is such a long time for this to be resolved when people are desperate for social care today," she said. "They're desperate for their needs to be assessed.
"Unfortunately health and social care go hand in hand and if both aren't working then we have a bottleneck.
"There needs to be more funding into social care. I appreciate that as a country we are struggling financially but actually your return on investment is really huge. If we get this right the savings are massive."
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