Responding to a report by the Public Accounts Committee on
the adult social care workforce in England, which states that a
credible plan to sustain the underfunded care sector is needed
this year, Cllr Linda Thomas, Vice Chair of the Local Government
Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:
“This report lays bare the stark facts behind the adult
social care crisis which is of increasing concern for the entire
sector and cannot be ignored by the Government.
“Councils have done all they can to prioritise and protect
adult social care, but the combination of historic funding
reductions, rising demand and increasing cost pressures means
many councils are having to make significant savings and
reductions across their budgets, including within adult social
care itself.
“This is leading to an ever more fragile provider market,
growing unmet and under-met need, further strain on informal
carers, less investment in prevention, and continued pressure on
an already-overstretched workforce.
“The funding gap facing adult social care is set to exceed
£2 billion by 2020 and this simply addresses the impact of
inflation, the National Living Wage and demographic change; it
does not address other key pressures such as unmet need, improved
training, and pay and conditions for the social care workforce,
including sleep-in costs. The majority of this pressure is with
us now with an estimated £1.3 billion of the £2 billion needed
to stabilise the care market.
“Unless immediate action is taken to tackle increasingly
overstretched council budgets, the adult social care tipping
point, which we and others have long warned about, will be
breached, which will lead to a substantial increase in people’s
care needs not being met and overspending by councils.
“A long-term solution that delivers genuinely new and
sustainable funding for social care is desperately needed,
otherwise councils risk not being able to fulfil their statutory
duty under the Care Act. This need to be supported by a realistic
workforce strategy which recognises and values the vital roles
played by the front line care workers, managers and
nurses.
“Government needs to address immediate pressures impacting
on the system today, and ensure its Green Paper will deliver
reforms to future-proof the long term sustainability of adult
social care.”
