Terry Moran CB

Economic Growth & Small Businesses: Labour Conference Panel Insights At The Labour Party Conference, a panel organised by Tony Blair Institute for Global Change discussed economic growth strategies, with discussion about small businesses. Participants included Darren Jones MP - Chair, Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Katie O'Donovan (Google and Kerry McLean (Intuit). Darren Jones provided insights into Labour's economic vision: • Ambitious Growth Target: Labour aims to achieve the highest per capita growth in the G7. Jones expressed confidence in meeting this goal, emphasising its importance for improving living standards. • Fiscal Responsibility: Jones stressed the importance of adhering to election promises and fiscal rules to build economic trust. He stated, "We have to illustrate and then perform what it means to be trusted on the economy." • Budget Priorities: The upcoming budget will address the £22 billion "black hole" left by the previous government. Jones described this inheritance as "deeply, deeply irresponsible" but emphasised Labour's commitment to getting public finances back on a sustainable footing. • Spending Review: A comprehensive spending review will begin in November, aimed at reforming and prioritising spending to align with government priorities, including investing in technology and modernising legacy IT systems. • Public Sector Reform: Jones highlighted the need for significant reform in public services, describing it as "enormously exciting and positive" despite the challenges involved. • Technology-Enabled Government: There's a strong focus on modernising public sector IT, improving data sharing between departments, and leveraging technology to enhance public services. Jones mentioned plans for a new digital strategy to improve government technology procurement and deployment. • Inclusive Growth: Jones emphasised the importance of "inclusive economic growth" to ensure benefits are felt across the country and to counter the rise of populism. On small businesses, Jones said: "Social enterprises are a really important part of that." Kerry McLean (Intuit): "The UK is our second biggest market, and there's 5.5 million small businesses here for us to serve and grow." She stressed the need for practical support: "Small businesses suffer from a lack of access to capital, a lack of access to training..." Katie O'Donovan (Google): "Businesses that use technology grew twice as fast... about getting out of London, about getting out of tech hot spots, and helping plumbers and hairdressers... do more online." The panel highlighted small businesses' role in driving inclusive #economicgrowth & the importance of supporting them through access to #capital, #training, and #technology adoption. More than half of Homecare Association’s over 2200 members are SME’s. Thoughts on these approaches? What practical offers could the government make to help small businesses?

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Insightful report that clearly articulates the current challenges

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How much money have Local Authorities wasted on preparing for funding reform that never happens. It doesn't bear thinking about. And the impact on people who need care? No one seems to be thinking about them either. No doubt the Royal Commission on Social Care will come up with a cap on lifetime care costs, equalisation between public and privately funded people and a vain hope that insurance products will be developed to cover care costs, and we can go round the whole merry-go-round again. https://lnkd.in/eGBRNkBa.

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Extremely interesting analysis from the CCN which supports Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) calls for the timeline for Charging Reform implementation to be reviewed as a matter of urgency. At present there are no resources allocated to delivering these reforms by Government and no national team driving these forward in DHSC. Given the known financial outlook for the country, set out by the OBR and the current financial challenges facing councils, the financial implications of delivering the reforms as previously set out are unrealistic and unaffordable. If the reforms are to be progressed, ADASS has called for a reprioritisation of the reforms so that they put supporting the people with the least means to access state funded care and support at the head of the queue (how, to what extent and the timeline for how the capital thresholds will be adjusted of course would be up for debate).

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The charitable arm of health and social care don't know where to turn to meet yet another hike in costs. We are unable to put up our prices or invest in technology that create efficiencies....our 'product' is our people and they play a vital role in protecting the most vulnerable in our society. The implications of the Autumn Budget and the Employment Rights Bill for charities like Alternative Futures Group are huge. We have spent years subsidising the shortfall in funding. We have been doing all we can to play our part in protecting high quality support for vulnerable people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions, but the sector needs action now to secure its future. The social care workforce is 1.6m people and the NHS workforce is 1.4m people. In the budget The Chancellor announced a £22.6bn increase in NHS funding to cover "day-to-day" running costs and social care received £600m in grant funding. Social Care continues to be a secondary concern and those with a disability are at the bottom of that list too. Please support AFG and other charities by signing this open letter to The Chancellor.

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The aims of the grant are to support local authorities to continue the progress they have made in innovating their assessment approach and processes across 3 key impact areas: Reducing waiting lists. Maintaining and improving the quality of ASC assessments. Moving assessments to digital platforms, where appropriate, to improve access, choice and flexibility for people.

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Some stark reading here from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) around the ‘The True Cost of Delivering Public Services’. Wide-spread concern that contracts are not fully covering the costs of services, with 87% of charities and community groups reporting that they are subsidising those services as a result and that 72% have either withdrawn from public service delivery or are considering doing so. It is not ok to keep asking charities to do more for less and it will have a long term impact on people using services. Those people are often tackling health inequalities already - so they are doubly hit.

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https://lnkd.in/e5tXrK-P IMPACTAgewell’s asset based approach to integrated work is influencing systems across the UK.Our evidence based model of care has proven results for both outcomes for Older People and for saving costs to the health Service https://lnkd.in/e-NUA2fr 

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Great opportunities

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Good governance is the essential foundation to running your charity successfully. 👍 Take time this #TrusteesWeek to brush up on core topics with our recently updated guides: https://lnkd.in/esCe7z-e ✅ Charity finances ✅ Decision-making ✅ Charity meetings

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At #MTICBIAI, we acknowledge the Chancellor’s recent budget announcement that includes £44 million to support kinship and foster carers. While this funding is a step in the right direction, it is crucial that we address the deeper systemic issues affecting looked-after children and care leavers. The proposed investment in education, including rebuilding schools and expanding childcare, is commendable. However, we believe that mental health services must be integrated into these plans to ensure holistic support for these vulnerable populations. It is vital to create a sustainable framework that not only provides financial resources but also prioritises emotional and psychological well-being. Furthermore, we call for clearer strategies to enhance the quality of care and support for those transitioning out of care. Addressing these challenges requires collaboration between the government, local authorities, and organisations like ours that advocate for the needs of looked-after children and care leavers. #LookedAfterChildren #CareLeavers #SocialCare #MentalHealthMatters #FosterCare #KinshipCare #ChildWelfare #EducationSupport #YouthEmpowerment #GovernmentFunding #Resilience #MTICBIAI #MyTraumaIsChronicButIAmIconic

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Record €25.8 billion health budget to support the continued delivery and expansion of quality, affordable healthcare services in 2025. The funding represents an overall increase of €2.94 billion on the January 2024 allocation, recognising the challenges of inflation and the increased demand on services due to a growing and ageing population. The 2025 health Budget includes €1.2 billion allocated for existing level of service, €1.5 billion additional funding for 2024 pressures and €335 million in additional new measures. Budget 2025 includes significant increases on 2024 in areas including: Acute Hospitals (up 22% to €9.9 billion) Mental Health (up 10% to a record €1.48 billion) Older Persons Services (up €349 million to €3 billion) Palliative Care (up 13% to €179 million) National Ambulance Service (up 13% to €280 million)

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Men living in Ealing are expected to live for 79 years, but only 61 of those years are likely to be lived in good health. Curious about the health data for your local authority? Explore it through the Local Authority Dashboard, a feature of the Health Foundation's Evidence Hub. We're pround to partner with The Health Foundation in running it's Evidence Hub, a free interactive web tool that allows users explore how our circumstances shape our health. Click the link to uncover insights about your area: https://lnkd.in/ef25q2Fx #localauthorityhealthdata #lifeexpectancy #healthdata

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"Clearly the scale of the financial challenge facing adult care and support providers is simply much greater than the additional funding announced today" Read Vic Rayner OBE's response to Local Government Finance Settlement https://lnkd.in/g7D2T6_j

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Not sure how to call your Council Member or what to say once you get on the line? Watch Senior Manager of External Affairs, Emily Walker, walk you through the 4 easy steps you can take to feel confident when you make that call. FY25 budget negotiations are happening right now and contacting your local Council Member is a powerful civic action you can take to let elected officials know why Parks and green spaces are important to you. Read Emily's blog post for more detailed instructions (and a full list of talking points!): https://bit.ly/3yHeAqd

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The Budget has a potentially devastating impact on #homecare and #carehome provision in Scotland. We need the Scottish Government to act. Briefing Paper: Key Impacts of the 2024 Autumn Budget on Social Care in Scotland. #budget #socialcare #NationalInsurance #careaboutcare https://lnkd.in/e4b2vCSr

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📢Our latest ICB Update is now available to read! This weeks edition includes; ◾Shining a spotlight on #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek ◾NHS system performance data ◾Development of our region-wide quality strategy... & more! Check it out👇 https://lnkd.in/efh_CTS6 #Health #NHS

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Important and valuable new report from VODG (Voluntary Organisations Disability Group) and Collaborate CIC on reframing commissioning. As the #SocialCareFuture sponsored commission 'Whose social care is it anyway?', led by people who draw on support concluded, we don't just need more resources, we need them to be better used. Commissioning holds the keys. https://lnkd.in/eS4gHsYA

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