A Report into dementia care has criticised Government plans for
the health and care levy for providing insufficient funding for
social care over the next three years, and for failing to spell
out how the sector will benefit from the levy after that.
The Health and Social Care Committee’s inquiry heard evidence
that currently 200,000 people with moderate and severe dementia
in England do not get any kind of funded or professional support.
Projections show an increase in the number of people who will be
living with dementia and increased costs of dementia care. MPs
say they are disappointed the Government has not provided greater
funding for social care in the immediate future. The Committee
urges Ministers to accept its earlier recommendation for a £7
billion annual increase in funding for social care by 2023-24 as
a starting point.
Health and Social Committee Chair Rt Hon MP said:
“People living with dementia face catastrophic costs for
social care but even though the new levy is welcome, their
families will continue to remain unprotected until 2023
at the earliest.
“The extra funding announced in the Budget for
local authorities is welcome but it’s not
clear how much will be set aside to support
the growing costs of providing social care.
“Fundamental reform of the social care system must be
tackled by the Government in its promised White Paper
and until we see warm words turned into action, families living
with dementia will continue to face an unbearable
situation.”
ENDS
Evidence to the Committee projected that:
-
The number of older people living with dementia in
England will increase to around 1.35 million by 2040
-
The total cost of dementia care is projected to reach
£80.4 billion by 2040, up from £29.5 billion in 2019 when
nearly half of this spending went on social care
(45.8%)
It also heard:
-
200,000 people with moderate and severe dementia in
England do not get any kind of funded or professional
support
-
There are approximately 700,000 unpaid carers who play
a vital role in supporting those with dementia
Key recommendations:
-
Starting point for social care funding increase must be
an additional £7 billion per year by 2023–24 to cover
demographic changes, uplift staff pay in line with the National
Minimum Wage and to protect people who face catastrophic social
care costs
-
Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England
and Improvement should use the White Paper to develop clear
guidance on the care and support those living with dementia and
their carers should expect to receive, from diagnosis through
to lifelong post-diagnostic support
Please see attached Report,
Supporting those with dementia and their
carers, for full conclusions and
recommendations
The Report found a lack of integrated care across the health and
social care system required people living with dementia and their
carers to navigate complex and uncoordinated care pathways with a
system of burdensome bureaucracy, described by one witness as
"set up to ration".
Continuous post-diagnostic support
MPs welcome a commitment to increase funding to meet targets on
dementia diagnosis, however call for clearer guidance to be
included in the White Paper on what care and support people with
dementia and their carers should expect from diagnosis through to
lifelong post-diagnostic support.
Government urged to consider views of unpaid carers in
reforms
The Committee acknowledges and pays tribute to the ‘tremendous’
contribution of unpaid carers. The Report concludes that the
Government’s Health and Care Bill must consider the vital role of
unpaid carers in supporting people with dementia and give them
the opportunity to contribute to any plans for reform.
This short report from the Health and Social Care Committee
builds on its previous work and recommendations related to the
social care system. The Social care: funding and
workforce Reportrecommended social care funding must
be increased by a minimum of £7 billion per year by 2023-24.
