Priory CEO Welcomes Care England Report Calling for Shift in How Adult Social Care is Understood and Funded
Priory chief executive Rebekah Cresswell has welcomed Care England’s new report, ‘The Power of Care: The system behind our society’, which calls for a fundamental shift in how adult social care is understood, funded and supported.
It states adult social care must be viewed as “essential national infrastructure” and not as a “peripheral or residual service” associated only with crisis, decline or a small section of the population.
Cresswell – who is a founder member of Care England’s Working Age Adult Policy Board, which aims to ensure the needs of working-age adults in social care settings remain a priority at the highest levels of decision-making – attended the report’s launch in Parliament on Thursday (7 May).
“This report is essential reading and the case is clear and compelling,” she said. “Adult social care is fiercely proud of the services it delivers. It is not here just to underpin healthcare services, but is a vibrant contributor to this nation in its own right. It bolsters our economy, our communities, our workforce and our societal wellbeing.”
The report positions social care as an essential enabler of independence, prevention and economic productivity rather than simply a cost pressure – adding it is an “economic powerhouse”, with the sector contributing £78 billion a year to the UK.
It outlines how underinvestment in social care creates significantly greater costs elsewhere in the system – particularly for hospitals, emergency care and local government.
Cresswell said: “At Priory, we see every day how important working-age adult social care services are to the people we support, to their families and loved ones, and to the wider communities they serve.
“It is our privilege to support people to remain independent, to live their lives, to achieve dreams they never thought they would and to thrive.”
Cresswell added: “As this report explains, social care needs to be viewed as fundamental to our British infrastructure and valued for the millions of people it cares for, supports and employs. My years in social care have been some of the most fulfilling of my life.”
Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, who presented the report alongside Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, said: “Social care is about living, not just surviving. It gives people confidence, dignity, independence and connection. It allows families to be families, workers to remain in work, and communities to stay resilient.
“If we are serious about building a healthier, fairer and more productive country, we must be serious about social care. That means moving beyond short-term fixes and recognising the sector for what it is, the system behind our society.”
