Responding to the latest Delayed Transfer of Care figures, which
show that delays attributable to social care fell by almost 40
per cent compared to June last year, Julie Ogley, Vice President
of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services,
said:
“Despite significant pressures, our dedicated social care
workforce has once again made an incredible impact, keeping
delays to transfers of care lower than at this point last year.
However, the pressures facing our care and health services,
compounded by a lack of certainty around the long-term funding
for social care, are increasing, and there is only so much that
dedication can do.
“We welcome the recent investment announced for the NHS, however,
as has been remarked before, investing in the health service
without investing in social care is like pouring water down a
sink without leaving the plug in.
“None of us want to need social care, in the same way that none
of us wants to be sick, but all of us at some point will have a
loved one who will depend on it or we may even need it ourselves.
By kicking the social care green paper into the Autumn, the
Government has further delayed providing not just funding, but
much-needed answers on how we are going to plan to look after us
when we are older or disabled.
“With more of us living longer, the pressures on our social care
system will only increase unless we put in place a long-term
funding solution as soon as possible. In the meantime, it’s
essential that urgent and interim funding is made available to
help ease the pressures on the system and help us help the people
in our care live the lives they want to live.”
Top-line findings from the DTOC figures:
- · There
were 134,300 total delayed days in June 2018, of which 88,800
were in acute care. This is a 24 per cent decrease from June
2017, where there were 177,900 total delayed days, of which
117,100 were in acute care.
- · The
134,300 total delayed days in June 2018 is equivalent to 4,478
daily DTOC beds. This compares to 4,490 in May 2018 and 5,929 in
June 2017.
- · Both
the NHS and Social Care sectors have seen reductions in the
volume of delayed transfers of care in the last year.
- · 62.6%
of all delays in June 2018 were attributable to the NHS, 29.9%
were attributable to Social Care and the remaining 7.4% were
attributable to both NHS and Social Care.
- · The
proportion of delays attributable to Social Care has decreased
over the last year to 29.9%.
