The government has left adult social care in the UK “broken” with years of uneven funding and “woefully inadequate planning” to fill thousands of staff vacancies, MPs say. said in a damning report on the system it provides. 835,000 people.
The Public Accounts Committee said “chronic underfunding, growing waiting lists and patchwork funding” were putting continued pressure on local authorities and the government was committed to “resolving the social care crisis once and for all.” He said the country had failed to deliver on the promises made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2019.
The Department of Health and Human Services “has not provided the necessary leadership to provide a social services sector adequate to meet the nation's needs,” the bipartisan commission concluded.
Labor Party leader Meg Hillier said: “Years of piecemeal funding and a lack of a clear roadmap have left the adult social care sector in disarray. Waiting lists are growing and the sector is in the tens of thousands of There are critical staff shortages and local government finances are under unsustainable pressure.”
The report found that there are nearly half a million people on waiting lists for residential or home care, and that an aging population is driving demand. Also, in a system that costs councils around £24bn a year, the government may not be aware of value for money, so some private providers may be enjoying higher profit margins. There are also growing concerns.
The PAC said the extra £2.7bn of funding allocated in 2022 to accelerate discharges from hospital into social care and increase the prices councils can pay for care “will not simply pursue the interests of healthcare providers. We are looking for a guarantee that “.
The committee also said the government had given little assurance that changes to the £86,000 per person cap on care costs, which have already been postponed until October 2025, would be delivered as planned. Ta. Meanwhile, more than 150,000 care posts remain vacant and “DHSC has yet to develop a convincing plan to address chronic shortages”, the committee said.
Nadra Ahmed, president of the National Care Association, which represents independent care providers, said: “The intentions were there but the implementation was very dire. Despite the government's plans, the sector remains increasingly vulnerable. continues to become.”
Helen Wildbore, director of Care Rights UK, which represents social care users and their relatives, said: “It is the elderly and disabled who are paying the price, and as services reach breaking point… Their safety, dignity and rights are at risk.” We hear from people who face uphill battles to access care, have their basic needs met, or resolve serious concerns about their care. ”
A DHSC spokesperson said: “We are committed to reforming adult social care, responding to the pressures facing the sector, investing up to £8.6 billion extra over two years to grow our workforce and improve hospital discharges. The report rightly acknowledges that progress is being made to accelerate training for care workers to advance their careers and improve retention, including through new certifications. , we are also investing up to £700m in a major transformation of the adult social care system, including investing in technology and converting homes to enable people to live independently.”
After newsletter promotion
The findings coincided with the public inquiry into coronavirus infections holding its first preliminary session on the care sector, following 50,000 virus-related deaths in UK care homes. .
Sam Jacobs, head of the Trades Union Congress, told the inquiry that the pandemic had left “a chronically underfunded and fragmented social care sector with little central strategic direction and thousands of local authorities and private “The care provided by care providers…is supported by an understaffed, underpaid and undervalued workforce.” ”
Jane Townson, chief executive of the Home Care Association, said the “obvious lack of social care expertise” on the government's scientific advisory group meant that “scientific advice influencing policy decisions was “This means that the sector's unique challenges and needs have not been adequately considered.”
“Decision makers frequently ignore and undervalue the dedicated professionals working in social care who risk their health and wellbeing to continue to provide care and support in the most difficult of circumstances.” “I was doing it,” she said.
