The Carer’s Post

Lack Of Government Action Leaves Social Care Struggling Adult social care support continues to stagnate following a lack of action to reform the sector by successive governments, says The King’s Fund following the publication of its annual social care report. Social Care 360 highlights that adult requests for social care have hit a record high of two million and that across the sector, the key measures all point towards a social care system that is under intense pressure. The trends for 2022/23 show that:   - Financial eligibility continues to tighten, with financial thresholds for help with the costs of care not having changed since 2010/11. - The cost to local authorities of purchasing care continues to increase faster than inflation – since 2015/16, the average weekly fee for working-age adults increased from £1,400 to £1,540, the average weekly fee paid for older people increased from £670 to £840, and the average hourly rate for home care increased from £17.50 to £20.60 (in real terms – taking inflation into account). - The social care workforce vacancy rate is still at its second highest-ever level, despite the arrival of around 70,000 overseas workers. - There are approximately 19,000 fewer unpaid carers receiving direct support than in 2015/16, and 21,000 fewer people receiving respite care, over the same period. The authors note that while the latest data does show a slight increase in the number of adults receiving publicly funded social care support compared to 2021/22, this upturn is likely largely due to a ‘correction’ after the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic. Compared to 2015/16 there are still 11% more people asking for support and 2% fewer people receiving it. Equally, although the number of social care vacancies fell from the historic high of 165,000 in 2021/22 to 152,000 in 2022/23, this was driven by a sharp increase in the number of overseas staff recruited to work in adult social care. Since then, the government have announced a tightening of the rules affecting overseas care workers meaning they will not be allowed to bring dependents with them to the UK. The King’s Fund argues that, if the next government wants to ‘fix’ social care it will need to increase funding to enable care providers to attract, retain and train staff and implement reforms to make the system fairer and improve quality and outcomes for the users of services and their carers. Simon Bottery, Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund and lead author said:  ‘For decades social care reform has been promised by governments but consistently dodged or delayed.  The latest figures make clear that the sector is showing little sign of improvement, leaving thousands of people without the support they need. ‘There are severe financial pressures on local authorities, who fund adult social care, and no sign that national government will step in to help. Nor is there a credible longer-term plan to recruit and retain the staff needed. ‘At …

Ground Hog Day For Social Care As Social Care Leaders Demand More From Government On a recent Voices of Care podcast, from Newcross Healthcare – a podcast channel dedicated to the voice of the health and social care sector – the CEOs of England’s largest social care representative bodies demanded more funding, parity with the NHS, investment in workforce and a radical rethink on social care as a net contributor to the UK economy. In the same week that the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced she would be scrapping the plan to cap charges for older people along with plans to increase adult social care training funding, Care England, National Care Forum and the Homecare Association joined voices and called on the Government to fix social care for good. With the last Royal Commission for Social Care, now over 25 years ago, the podcasts host, Suhail Mirza, asked CEOs Professor Martin Green (Care England), Jane Townson, (Homecare Association) and Vic Rayner (National Care Forum); “Why hasn't social care been fixed after so many white papers, green papers and now, another royal commission due?”  Professor Martin Green commented: “There is always a focus on the NHS. Politicians don’t understand the way the NHS is an interdependent system with social care. We transform lives and local economies, and we must make sure we keep that high on the agenda with the government.” Jane Townson followed: “Reform is challenging, people visit the GP and have contact with health services, but people are not always aware of social care until they need it. “ The recent Skills for Care report showed that social care vacancies had reduced, with the majority of vacancies filled by overseas staff. The report also indicated that over the last two years the number of British national in the social care workforce has reduced by 70,000.  It projected a further 540,000 social care workers would be needed in the sector by 2040. Commenting, Professor Martin Green said: “<> needs to think clearly about how we reform the model of social care, <> work smarter, not harder. They need to think about how they secure the current workforce, we need training, development and reward the workforce in line with the fact these are very skilled and important roles.” The call for increased investment in training for the social care workforce was echoed by all guests, with Vic Rayner commenting: “The social care workforce needs to be at the top of everybody’s agenda.” Yet the Government last week reneged on plans around an adult social care training fund despite it being a key recommendation from Skills for Care to increase training investment. Turning attention to social care as being a net contributor to the UK economy, the podcasts host stated: “<> needs to change the rhetoric on social care from the cold calculus of cost, to one of its contribution to the economy.” Vic Rayner comments: “Social care needs to have its own industrial strategy. Other parts of the world are seeing robo…

Social Care Staff Remain The Poor Relation Says Providers Social Care staff remain the poor relations of the healthcare family after their colleagues got a pay boost, campaigners said today. The social care provider organisation The Independent Care Group (ICG) is calling for better sector funding so that staff get pay parity with the NHS. More than 27,000 workers who do NHS work but are employed by non-NHS organisations are to get one-off payments of at least £1,600. The ICG says it is unfair that due to under-funding of social care, staff who work in the independent sector providing care to older and vulnerable adults will not get a similar pay boost and it will make it harder to recruit into the sector. ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “The payment to these staff is wholly deserved and we welcome the news that it is to be paid. “But whichever way you look at it, it once again reinforces social care staff as poor relations in the healthcare sector. “Thousands of nurses and care workers who work in social care, doing the same work, will not get the same pay increases as their counterparts doing NHS work and that isn’t right. “It is unfair on staff doing the same job and will make it harder to recruit into social care as the disparity between our workforce and those benefiting from NHS pay continues to grow. At a time when we already have 152,000 vacancies in the social care sector, that is not going to be helpful.” He said the Government had to better fund social care to close the disparity and tackle the workforce shortage. “Funding for those who commission care, like local authorities and health trusts, has been squeezed beyond recognition and they, in turn, are squeezing down on the fees they pay to providers,” Mr Padgham added. “That puts huge pressure on care providers who then cannot hope to match the pay of NHS staff. Overall, the funding shortage is hitting providers hard and some are leaving the market. “The Government has to get more funding into social care, or the situation is going to get worse and the number of people who cannot get care – currently around 1.6m – is going to double.” He said with such hardship it was little surprise that public satisfaction with social care was falling. A British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey found that only 13% of those questioned were satisfied with social care. Mr Padgham added: “The reason for that is probably that there is less and less of it available, because of the crisis the sector is in. It is a wake-up call to the Government that the public isn’t satisfied with social care – or with NHS services which came in at 24% satisfied – and that they must do something about it.” Read More:

Think Social Care First Says Sanctuary Care’s Chief Operating Officer As the first leadership debate took place last night, chief operating officer at Sanctuary Care, Sarah Clarke-Kuehn has said that adult social care and providing support for the most vulnerable in society needs to be a high priority for the next Government following the announcement of the general election in July, as she set out what the next government should prioritise social care. As one of the largest not-for-profit social care providers in the country, Ms Clarke-Kuehn called for the next Government to put social care, and the people involved, central to their plans for change. “This is why we fully support the National Care Forum’s five calls for change – think social care first; invest in people, not profit; create an economic growth strategy for adult social care; improve pay, terms and conditions of the workforce; and enshrine rights, fairness and choice for people in a National Care Covenant” She said. “At the heart of this needs to be putting people over profit. I am proud to work for an organisation that does exactly that. As a registered charity, Sanctuary’s surplus income doesn’t go to shareholders, it is re-invested into the things that matter most for our residents, their families and our staff.” “Not-for-profit care offers many benefits including greater transparency in terms of governance, finances and accountability. We reinvest our surplus income, focusing on enriching the lives of our people, on creating a sense of community and belonging for our employees as much as for our residents, as well as a sense of achievement through the varied career pathways on offer. This in turn helps to support staff retention and ensure greater stability in our workforce, while equipping people with the skills to deliver the highest-quality care to residents.” “From our own research into the topic, we found that 53% of care workers felt there needed to be a shift from profit to investing in people, while 34% also supported the introduction of a long-term Government strategy to reform and stabilise adult social care.” “A national strategy regarding the future needs, capabilities and ambitions for a social care workforce will also ensure the adult social care system attracts and recruits the right people for current and future needs. We’re ready to work with the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure reforms will ensure the long-term, sustainable delivery of good-quality care.” “This is why we want to see the next Government prioritise social care for everyone, recognising this essential service and its value to society.” Read More:

Call For Social Care Partnership For Growth CAMPAIGNERS say the new Government should work in partnership with providers to create a new powerhouse of social care provision for the country. The social care provider organisation, the Independent Care Group (ICG) has called for a new spirit of collaboration to tackle the crisis in the sector. And it says a joint approach between the government and the sector could meet social care needs, boost employment and aid economic growth. ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “In just a few days, the Government has demonstrated a willingness to take a collaborative approach to issues facing the country – and we believe that is the best way to tackle the challenges facing social care too. “Far too often in the past, governments have shied away from working with the sector to find solutions with the result that little has been achieved and the crisis in the care of older, vulnerable and disabled adults has deepened. “Organisations like ours have a depth of experience and understanding of the social care sector that is freely available to the Government, along with our views and practical suggestions on the most important things that can be done to improve social care. “We very much hope the Government will embrace the opportunity to work with the sector to reform social care for the good of millions of people who need it and those who provide it.” The ICG has written to the new Prime Minister as well as Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Social Care Minister Stephen Kinnock, seeking a meeting to discuss solutions. Some 1.6m people currently can’t get the care they need and the sector is short of 152,000 staff, with demand for services increasing rapidly. The ICG welcomed Mr Streeting’s call for the NHS and social care to be “engines of economic growth”. Mr Padgham added: “This echoes our own approach of the past few years. “We have long argued that aside from the huge social benefits social care provides, it also provides significant economic benefits too. “The sector employs 1.6m people - which is more than the NHS – and contributes £55.7bn to the economy. Investing in social care would significantly improve both of those figures. Evidence suggests £1 invested in social care brings benefits worth £1.75. “We will need to grow the sector as we will need an extra 440,000 social care workers to meet rising demand for care services, by 2035. “Some 80% of us will need social care in our lifetimes and the number of people with dementia will soon top a million. “At the moment an average of 14,000 people a week can’t leave hospital because there is no social care available for them. Switching funds from the NHS to enable social care to meet that demand through homecare or care and nursing home beds, will actually save the NHS money and boost the economic contribution the sector makes. Everybody wins – especially those people who are crying out for care.” Read More: https://lnkd.in/d5seKW4P

Social Care Boost “Short Term Solution To A Long-Term Problem” Says Care England Today, Care England, the largest representative body of independent providers of adult social care in England, has welcomed the Government announcement of a £500m social care boost. It is understood that the £500m will be designated to social care authorities to be spent on children and adult services, distributed through the Social Care Grant. Further details on the exceptional provision of this funding will be set out at the upcoming Budget. Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says: “This injection of funding is a welcome recognition of the challenges faced by local authorities and care providers alike. However, the Government must move away from short-term sticking plasters and towards strategic allocations of money that will truly benefit the sector.” The 2023 Sector Pulse Check found that 84% of care providers felt Government funding made no difference to their sustainability, the ambition to manage service performance and reduce wasteful expenditure is to be welcomed. The National Audit Office report, Reforming Adult Social Care in England, showed significant inadequacies and delays in the Department of Health and Social Care’s delivery of reform plans. Care England has called on the Government to mirror their request to local authorities and publish their own ‘productivity plans,’ with tangible success measures. The new money announced today still falls shy of mitigating the 10.4% impact that the rise in NLW will cost providers. With 39% of providers considering exiting the market, according to the 2023 Sector Pulse Check, there is still more to be done. Professor Martin Green continues: “Against the backdrop of the rises in the National Living Wage, rising utility costs, and the gap from the Fair Cost of Care being largely unaddressed, this new money in isolation runs the risk of being another short-term solution of money in the face of a problem that needs long-term funding to resolve.” Read More:

Social Care Providers Offer Help And Advice To Government Social Care providers are offering to help the Government create a new ‘golden age’ for older, vulnerable and disabled adults. They say the industry has a wealth of experience, ideas and advice that the Government should draw upon to create a new beginning for social care. Mike Padgham, Chair of the care provider organisation, The Independent Care Group (ICG), says people are asking ‘what next?” for the sector. “The answer has to lie with the knowledge and expertise that is available in social care,” said Mr Padgham. “We would urge the Government to quickly work with the sector to find some quick-win solutions that will ease the crisis the sector is going through.” He said the sector was currently in a vacuum, after the Government went back on a pre-election promise to introduce an £86,000 cap on social care costs, designed to prevent people from having to sell their home to pay for care. It also cut some social care training support. The ICG says it isn’t too late to reverse those decisions and kick-start long overdue reform. Mr Padgham added: “To go back on that pre-election promise for social care, so soon after the election, was a disappointment and has damaged the fragile confidence the sector had in the new administration. “It is early days, and we have to give the Government the benefit of the doubt, but we do need to see some positive steps to reassure the social care sector that it hasn’t been abandoned already.” He said the most urgent priority was to address the pay of social care staff to address staff shortages that were harming the delivery of care and creating social care deserts. “However it is done, we must switch funding into social care delivery to get better pay rewards and recognition for the staff or we won’t be able to meet current demand for care, let alone the huge rise in demand that is coming,” Mr Padgham added. “The Government has promised a workforce strategy for social care and we need to see that arrive quickly. “Social care looks after well over a million people and demand for that care is rising. It is estimated that 1.6m people can’t get the care they need. “The sector employs 1.6m people and contributes £55.7bn to the economy. Some 80% of us will need care in our lifetimes and yet the sector is short of 131,000 staff. By 2040 we will need to recruit an extra 540,000 people. “We have it in our power to reform and reshape social care to meet that demand, get care to those who need it and create a properly-paid workforce. “We have it in our power to enjoy a golden age for social care, but we need the Government to see that and work with us to create it.” Read More:

Care Minister Rules Out Prospect of a National Care Service The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has rejected the idea of a national care service for England. In a speech to Directors of Adult Social Services referring to national care services in Scotland and Wales, DHSC minister Helen Whately said “simplicity, ideology, and slogans grab headlines. A one-size-fits all approach is not the right answer. We need a vision for care which recognises this, even if it’s harder to spell out, and even if it’s more complicated to deliver.” Adding that "The debate is hugely oversimplified" as "simplicity, ideology, and slogans grab headlines" while "care is complex". Ms Whately said: "At one end, you hear from people who think that social care should be nationalised. That it should no longer be the responsibility of the local authorities you are part of. Nor should it be delivered by independent providers. They call for a national state run service – a national care service if you will. "At the other end, you hear from people who think that care should be an exclusively family affair." She said she "finds herself arguing against both of these viewpoints" because "social care supports so many different people with so many different needs" so "a one-size-fits all approach is not the right answer". Ms Whately also expressed "frustration at talking down of social care" during a speech: "The next time someone says to you that social care is broken – or that its problems are being ignored – or that it’s not being reformed – or that care workers need a career structure... tell it as it is. "Yes, social care has big challenges, but we’re working on them." This "work" that the government has been doing to "reform" social care includes a "care workforce pathway" launch, increase in grant funding for local authorities up to £8.6bn and £20m in the Accelerating Reform Fund, Ms Whately said. She also highlighted 15 areas of the country that are using their Accelerating Reform Fund to "scale up" Sharing Lives Care, a scheme to support working age adults with learning disabilities, mental health problems or other needs. Speaking on technology and innovation Ms Whately said: “We’re also backing innovation through technology. Because the potential for technology to improve care and help people live more independent lives is hugely exciting – and there is some brilliant innovation going on, but often in pockets rather than at scale.” “If we take digital social care records as an example. Replacing paper care records with digital records is a no-brainer. It makes social care more efficient by reducing the time staff spend filling in forms and chasing information by phone. It can also mean better, safer care. Digital care records can alert the GP if their patient needs medical treatment, or it can alert staff if medication has been missed. ". Another "crucial part" of the government's reforms is the Care Quality Commission's assurance of local authori…

Vital Talks Over North Yorks Social Care as Funding Crisis Deepens CARE providers in North Yorkshire are holding top-level talks with the local council to tackle a funding crisis which threatens the care of vulnerable people across the country. The Independent Care Group (ICG) is meeting North Yorkshire Council to discuss the fees the local authority is offering to providers to give care to people who need support in their own home, supported living or in care and nursing homes and other settings. The ICG is also balloting its members over the proposed fee increase for 2024-25. The ICG argues that the offer provides no increase in fees for many providers on recent and current placements, whilst for others it offers an increase that is less than the 9.8% rise in the National Living Wage from April. The provider body says care providers are struggling to survive as they face ever-increasing costs, severe staffing shortages and a lack of proper funding for the care they provide. The talks come as the Government announces an extra £500m for councils specifically to pay for children’s and adult social care. ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “We have a great relationship with North Yorkshire Council and very much hope that we can reach an agreement on fees that supports local providers and enables them to keep providing an excellent standard of care across the county. “We appreciate that local authorities are suffering severe cutbacks themselves and we have every sympathy with the plight that North Yorkshire Council finds itself in. However, we long ago reached the point where, in many cases, the base price paid for care by the local authority does not meet the actual cost to providers of meeting the ever more complex needs of service users. “To keep delivering proper, responsible and sustainable care to older and vulnerable people in this county we need a fee increase that recognises the true cost of providing care. “It is vital that, aided by its share of the extra £500m from the Government, the council recognises the issues we have in maintaining adult social care in North Yorkshire and that we can reach a positive agreement.” Research by the charity Hft and Care England reveals that 40% of adult social care providers were in deficit in 2023. Some 43% closed services or handed back contracts; 18% offered care to fewer people and 39% considered exiting the market altogether. A total of 84% of providers said Government investment in the sector had made no difference to their financial sustainability. The Government is to provide an extra £500m to local councils following a survey by the Local Government Association, which revealed that one in five councils fear they could go bust in the coming year. Mr Padgham added: “This injection of £500m whilst welcome, is just a drop in the ocean compared to the wholesale funding reform that is required to save social care. It is also a one-off payment when what we need is the long-term stability of prop…

Public Satisfaction With Social Care Hits New Low Public satisfaction with social care services has dropped to just 13 per cent, the lowest level ever recorded report reveals. New findings from the British Social Attitudes survey, published by the Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund, show that public satisfaction with social care services has dropped to just 13 per cent, the lowest level ever recorded. The survey, carried out by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) in September and October 2023, is seen as a gold standard measure of public attitudes in Britain. The latest results show the proportion of people dissatisfied with social care remains at a historically high level. 57 per cent of respondents reported being either ‘quite dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied’ with social care services. The leading reason given for dissatisfaction was inadequate pay, working conditions and training for social care workers (57 per cent). This was closely followed by people not getting the social care they need (56 per cent), and there not being enough support for unpaid carers (49 per cent). Dissatisfaction was markedly higher among respondents who had used or had contact with social care services (for either themselves or someone else) in the past 12 months (64%) compared to those who had not (49%.). Dissatisfaction with social care services varied considerably between demographic groups. Respondents aged 65 and over were more dissatisfied (63 per cent) than respondents aged 18–64 (55 per cent). Those in the highest income quartile were more dissatisfied (62 per cent) than those in the lowest (51 per cent). There is a notable difference in party affiliation, with both Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters saying they are more dissatisfied with social care services (both 62 per cent), than Conservative supporters (51 per cent). The social care findings from the British Social Attitudes survey have been released ahead of the full health and care report publishing on Wednesday 27 March. Simon Bottery, Senior Fellow in social care at The King’s Fund, said: ‘These are awful results, but they are sadly unsurprising. For many years governments have taken too little action on social care and this is now seriously affecting those who draw on services, the families who support them and the staff who work in the sector. People realise that too many people fail to receive the social care support they need, putting an unfair requirement on unpaid carers, and that staff are overworked and underpaid. ‘The results demonstrate the need for immediate action to stabilise the social care system, backed by long-term reform and investment. The next government must take a strong step forward and prioritise social care.’ Cyril Lobont, Researcher at the Nuffield Trust, said: ‘Social care services are a vital part of society yet satisfaction with them seems to redefine ‘rock bottom’ every year. The results make it clear that too many people with care need…