Commenting on the publication of the Government’s adult social
care reform White Paper, People at the Heart of Care,
Sally Warren, Director of Policy at The King’s
Fund said:
‘This White Paper is the final part of the Government’s plan to
fix social care, alongside funding reform and the funding
settlement announced in the Spending Review. Taken together, the
Government’s commitments do not match the ambition set out by the
Prime Minister and urgency of change which the people who draw on
care and support rightly expect to see.
‘The overall vision in the White Paper is the right one and if
delivered could significantly improve the experience of people
receiving care and those who work in the sector. However, the
steps outlined don’t go fast or far enough to achieve this vision
and the funding allocated to deliver it is insufficient. In
particular, although there are some welcome commitments on
training and skills for staff, there is little to tackle poor
workforce pay and conditions and high vacancy levels in the
sector.
‘There are some positive proposals such as the focus on giving
higher priority to developing better options for housing – an
area that has been under-developed in the UK until now but has
the potential to make a significant difference to supporting
people to live independently in their communities.
‘But there is nothing in the proposals to deal with some of the
most urgent and immediate problems currently facing the sector
including high levels of unmet need and a fragile provider
market. There is also a lack of new, practical measures to
empower people to have personal choice and control over the care
they receive.
‘Far from fixing social care as the Prime Minister promised, the
Government’s plans mean social care services will continue to
face significant challenges in supporting people who rely on them
to live independent and fulfilling lives.’
