Torrent Of Bad News Sparks Warning As Government Urged To Tackle Growing Care Crisis

A torrent of bad news on social care today (September 27) sends a bleak weather warning to the Government on the urgent need for reform, campaigners say.

Age UK has reported that the number of people living without the social care they need has jumped to 2m – up from 1.6m last year.

And there are reports from up and down the country of care provision being withdrawn due to financial cutbacks.

Today the social care provider organisation, The Independent Care Group (ICG) warned that the Government could not go on ignoring the crisis.

ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “Once again we have the bleakest of news on adult social care – a staggering 2m people who cannot get even the basic help they need to live a decent quality of life, a quality of life the rest of us take for granted.

“That is our mothers and fathers, brothers and sister, aunts and uncles and friends who are being denied the most basic of support – from help getting out of bed, getting washed to making a meal to higher levels of care. It is a scandal that shames us as a country.”

He said the Government “had made positive noises” about reforming social care but change wasn’t coming quickly enough.

“It clearly isn’t their priority,” Mr Padgham added. “One of the Government’s first decisions was to axe the proposed cap on care costs, which didn’t bode well.

“And for all the health secretary and the Prime Minister’s rhetoric on improving pay for care workers and reforming social care, we are yet to see any meaningful moves.”

The ICG’s warning comes alongside news of threats to care provision across the country.

East Sussex County Council is looking at shutting down day services and other cuts because of a lack of funding. And in York, nine day clubs for older people are to close after the local council withdrew support – again due to funding shortages.

Mr Padgham added: “As a matter of urgency we must get greater financial support to social care commissioners, like local authorities, who are currently having to cut back on care because they simply don’t have the money to provide or commission it any more.”

Earlier this month, a report commissioned by the new Government, by Lord Darzi, cited problems in social care as a contributing factor to the ongoing crisis in NHS healthcare.

Mr Padgham added: “This deluge of bad news continues and it comes on top of years and years of reports and warnings that adult social care was on the brink of collapse, failing to support the people it is there to support and unable to play its part, alongside NHS healthcare, in the care of our communities.

“The new Government has promised reform and we continue to give the administration the benefit of the doubt that it will deliver. Those of us in the sector have a great deal of knowledge on what needs to be done and are willing and able to offer that support to the Government and to work with them on solutions to the crisis.

“As today’s figures from Age UK show, we cannot wait much longer. People are going without care and no Government should sit by and watch that happen without taking urgent action to tackle it.”
The ICG welcomed today’s State of Health and Care of Older People report from Age UK. It concludes that the country is failing to cope with the needs of an increasing number of older people.

“It is good that the older population is growing and that is something that should be celebrated,” Mr Padgham added. “We need to create a society where we can embrace that and where people can live long and fulfilling lives, with the support that they need, when they need it.”