"This is an evolving threat that the government needs to keep pace with, and fraudsters have increasingly seized the opportunity to target victims on search engines and social media, developing new techniques that suit these platforms such as fake promotions and products."
Social Care
As expected, social care occupied some word space in the speech. This has been long awaited for the better part of a decade, with each successive Budget "kicking the issue into the long grass", according to Aegon's Smith.
But if the hope had been for some proper attention to long-term care – as promised on the steps of 10 Downing Street by the prime minister himself - this hope was dashed after the Queen's Speech.
Her Majesty said: "My Government will protect the health of the nation, continuing the vaccination programme and providing additional funding to support the NHS.
"My Ministers will bring forward legislation to empower the NHS to innovate and embrace technology.
"Patients will receive more tailored and preventative care, closer to home [Health and Care Bill]. Measures will be brought forward to support the health and wellbeing of the nation, including to tackle obesity and improve mental health. Proposals on social care reform will be brought forward."
But Baroness Ros Altmann, former pensions minister and now independent commentator, calls it a 'missed opportunity', that prioritising 'health' over 'care' perpetuates an artificial separation between the two.
She explains: "[We saw how] The NHS was prioritised over care homes and home care services, putting frail lives at risk. The current artificial separation between NHS and social care meant care homes and home care services did not receive adequate supplies of PPE, as the NHS was prioritised.
"Social care was relegated and neglected, with care homes or home care being used as hospital overflow services, when so many Covid patients were prematurely discharged from hospitals, putting lives at risk.
"Social care must properly integrated and funded, with parity of esteem alongside the NHS, to treat those with care needs with the dignity they deserve."
Altmann highlights figures that show:
- 28,000 people relying on social care at home died last year in England and Scotland, with some areas reporting a doubling or trebling of numbers of deaths.
- Overall numbers of deaths for those receiving home care in England increased by 50 per cent in the year to March 2021 over the prior year and the numbers in Scotland increased by 70 per cent.
- Care Quality Commission figures show that deaths at home in 38 English councils doubled last year, and in 10 areas the number of people dying tripled.
She adds: "This was not related just to Covid, with the majority of excess deaths being from non-Covid causes. The stark figures suggest a failure of social care services through the pandemic, with fragmented domiciliary care provided by private sector, councils, charities and NHS trusts, but no joined-up oversight."
Her views are echoed by industry commentators such as Peter Hamilton, head of market engagement for Zurich.
