Social Care Must Be A General Election Issue

Social care must be a key issue in the forthcoming General Election, sector leaders said today.

The snap election provides a chance to decide how we look after the oldest and most vulnerable residents in the country, the Independent Care Group says.

Chair Mike Padgham said: “Social care is in crisis with 1.2m now living with an unmet care need, care homes and home care providers folding and a dire shortage of nursing and care staff.

“For the sake of our oldest and most frail and vulnerable people we have to provide a better future for social care and the General Election gives all politicians a golden opportunity to seize the moment and set out their future plans. We have to decide once and for all how we fund and deliver social care in this country as the issue cannot be dodged any longer.

“This must be a General Election about care!”

Sector leaders say social care is in the midst of a perfect storm of rising demand for care, falling funding from care commissioners, greater inspection and increasingly dire staff shortages.

It was recently reported that more than 900 adults social care workers a day left their job in England last year, some 338,520 in total during 2015-16. It is estimated that there is a shortage of 84,320 care workers at the moment.

Meanwhile, BBC’s Panorama programme revealed that 69 home care companies have closed in the last three months and one in four of the UK’s home care companies are at risk of going under. Providers can no longer offer care for the amount they are being paid by social care commissioners like local authorities.