Yet Another Wake-Up Call On Social Care Ills

A fresh report on a lack of action over social care reform is the latest in a long line of damning evidence against a Government that is failing the sector, campaigners say.

The Public Accounts Committee today criticises the Department of Health and Social Care for failing to provide leadership, for “patchwork funding and short-notice announcements” and for delaying reform.

The care provider organisation, The Independent Care Group (ICG) said the report was a terrible verdict on the Government’s handling of social care.

ICG Chair Mike Padgham said:
“Here we are presented with more evidence – this time from MPs themselves – that the Government continues to fail the care of older and vulnerable adults in this country.

“We applaud the Committee for setting out in such stark and uncompromising terms the way the Government has continued with short-term, sticking plaster actions to try to support a s system that is failing and on the brink of collapse.

“But we wonder how many more of this type of report there will have to be before anyone in Westminster heeds the wake-up calls and takes some action.”

He said the ICG had been calling for reform for decades and that with each passing year, the situation got worse and worse.

“We have 1.6m people going without the care they need, a shortage of 152,000 staff in the workforce and people who provide homecare and residential care cutting back services and exiting the market,” Mr Padgham added.

“This report from MPs rightly identifies short-term, “patchwork” measures that have had little impact. It seems to everyone delivering care and many waiting to receive care, that the Government has no plan for social care and that is a desperate place to be.”