Care England Responds As Councils Report Having To Choose Between Supporting Those In Care And Preventing Illness
In response to the ADASS Spring Survey, Care England has repeated their call for the government to urgently boost funding for adult social care as councils report cutting their prevention budgets by 10% to cover the £774m overspends on the statutory social care services.
Care England’s Chief Executive, Professor Martin Green OBE said:
“It’s deeply concerning to hear that councils are being forced to choose between supporting those who need care now and supporting the system in the future by investing in the prevention agenda that this Government have pushed as a priority. The reality that’s left for the real people being supported by care providers now is that councils are doing neither particularly well.”
As local government finance has dwindled over years, and demand for adult social care has increased, councils are increasingly struggling to cover the costs of care. Recent increases in employers’ National Insurance Contributions and the Living Wage are making matters worse as they’re not being covered by the fee uplifts offered to care providers by commissioners, such as local authorities, making safe and good quality care closer to becoming unsustainable, as Care England & hft’s Sector Pulse Check 2024 report has shown.”
Professor Martin Green OBE continued:
“The new government have a real opportunity, with local government restructuring and multi-year funding settlements for councils coming down the line, to really hit the reset switch on commissioning and tackle some of the bigger issues in the sector head on. The government’s vision on prevention and community-based care is the first step, but the sector is yet to see the funding to make that reality, and this ADASS survey is yet another addition to a huge base of evidence that shows this.”
“Local councils, care providers, and most importantly, those we support, simply cannot wait until the Casey Commission’s conclusion in 2028 before the required action from government even begins. Whether it’s providers exiting the market or councils issuing section 114 notices, these things are already happening.”
“Another deeply concerning factor is the increase in demand for local authority-funded services as their NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) services have been withdrawn, despite Care England seeking assurances that recent cuts to ICBs would not impact CHC budgets. Care England urges the Government, NHS England and ICBs to end the postcode lottery that appears to be emerging in access to CHC.”
