Unfair and unsafe cuts to Adult Social Care revealed in Labour report

Labour accuses the Government of unfair and unsafe cuts to Adult Social Care in report revealing the impact of Tory austerity

Labour’s Andrew Gwynne and Barbara Keeley have today hit out at the Government for threatening to put vulnerable elderly and disabled people at risk by failing to properly fund adult social care.

The Shadow Secretary for Communities and Local Government, and Labour’s Shadow Minister for Social Care have today published a report which highlights the growing crisis, and called on the Government to use the upcoming Spring Statement to deliver the additional funding necessary to avert a widespread crisis in social care. 

The report’s shocking findings include:

• ·         Since 2010, £6.3 billion has been cut from Adult Social Care
• ·         Funding cuts are now having a detrimental impact on care quality. Almost a quarter of all adult social care services had the poorest ratings for safety – requires improvement (22%) or inadequate (2%)  
• ·         Demand is growing but this is being met with cuts: the number of people with an unmet social care need in England could be as high as 2.35 million. 
• ·         The Social Care system requires an immediate injection of £1.3bn. The Social Care funding gap is projected to rise to £2.5 billion by 2020.
• ·         Cuts are putting pressure on residential care staff: the number of emergency admissions from care homes in England has soared under the Tories with 28,471 emergency admissions of care home residents in 2016/17, up from 17,539 in 2010/11 – a 62 per cent increase

Andrew Gwynne MP, Labour’s Shadow Communities Secretary, said:

“Tory cuts continue to target some of the most vulnerable in our society. Our report reinforces the damage that these reckless cuts are doing to older people with growing care needs. 

“Despite this growing crisis, the Government have continued to cut budgets year-on-year, slashing £177 million from adult social care funds in this year’s local government finance settlement. 

“On Tuesday, the Government has an opportunity to show that it wants to support our communities. The Spring Statement needs to provide th eurgently needed funding for vulnerable and disabled people, providing sustainable funding for our public services before this crisis turns into a catastrophe.”

Barbara Keeley MP, Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Minister for Social Care, said:

“Eight years of Tory cuts to councils have hollowed out our care system, leaving it at a “tipping point”: without immediate intervention it could topple altogether. 

“The reality of the Tories’ 40 per cent cuts to budgets is: overworked and underpaid care staff with fewer care packages and worse quality for both older people and working age people with care needs. 

“The Tories need to take action in the Spring Statement to avert the crisis which is gripping social care so that people get the care they so desperately need.”