ABSTRACT
As late as 1965, T. H. Marshall could write that there was consensus around the viability of the welfare state, and the remaining problems were those of social engineering rather than ideology. It could easily be argued that is no longer tenable. The liberal certainties of the decades of the welfare state, the general consensus about the search for social justice, the faith in the ability of society to work towards humanitarian goals, have run into severe attacks from both extremes of the political divide. This chapter discusses the national priorities guidance that sets joint priorities for health and personal social services with annual targets. The focus for social services is meeting targets, bidding for new money and preparing the position statements and strategies to meet the demands of auditors and inspectors. Less time is spent on ensuring standards are maintained in homes for elderly people, day centres, and in home care.
