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News Social Care Commission: care leaders react
Care leaders have responded to the Department of Health and Social Care’s announcement of an Independent Commission into Social Care, to be chaired by Baroness Louise Casey. Split over two phases, the commission will set out a vision for adult social care, with recommended measures and a roadmap for delivery. The first phase, reporting in mid- 2026, will identify the critical issues facing adult social care and set out recommendations for effective reform and improvement in the medium term. The second phase, reporting by 2028, will make longer-term recommendations for the transformation of adult social care.
Care England chief executive Professor Martin Green OBE said: “This announcement acknowledges the decade-long crisis in social care, but it risks becoming yet another report that gathers dust while the sector crumbles. Care providers are doing their utmost to deliver essential care to society’s most vulnerable, yet the challenges they face
only keep increasing. While the sector has demonstrated resilience, its repeated calls for help have been ignored, as the government continues to prioritise reforming the NHS to achieve goals only a fully functioning adult social care system could deliver. “This commission will simply confirm
what we already know – how many more reports must we endure before action is taken? The harm caused by the government’s inaction is already deep, and the consequences for those who currently draw on care will be irreparable if immediate intervention is not forthcoming. Waiting until 2028 is not an option. The people in care today cannot afford to wait any longer – their lives depend on action now. By the time this commission will conclude, any recommendations will likely be delayed until a new Parliament is in place, risking not just a missed opportunity to support individuals now, but potential for a shift in priorities that could leave the sector without the action it so desperately needs.
“We are ready to work alongside Baroness
Casey and the government to turn this commission into a catalyst for genuine change. But let’s be clear: the status quo is no longer an option. Every day without action means more vulnerable people are left without the care they urgently need now, while the already overwhelming pressures on the NHS continue to intensify. “This isn’t about politics; it’s about people,
and we need the government to act now. Together, we can fix social care, but we must start today, not tomorrow.” NCF CEO Vic Rayner commented: “Only by hearing from those with the biggest stake in a well-functioning and resourced social care system will the commission be successful in its mission of delivering consistency of care that addresses the ongoing needs of older and disabled people. However, the timeframe for the commission must be shorter and we urge Baroness Casey to bring forward the work so these much needed changes can be seen within two years.”
Local Government Finance Settlement: care sector responds
The National Care Forum and Care England have responded to the publication of the Local Government Finance Settlement. Measures relating to adult social care include £5.9bn being provided through the Social Care Grant – an increase of £880m compared to 2024-25 – plus £2.6bn distributed through the Local Authority Better Care Grant, and £1.05bn for adult social care distributed via the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund (MSIF). NCF CEO Vic Rayner said: “While we
welcome the additional funding of £880m for adults and children’s social care, this won’t cover the increased costs for adult social care providers resulting from the Autumn Budget. The costs of the Budget for social care have been estimated by Nuffield Trust to be £2.8bn.
“Care and support providers have told us
very clearly about the looming impact of the additional employer NICs contributions and the increase in the National Living Wage. Key findings from a survey of care providers
“This inability to recognise and understand the importance of care and support in millions of people’s lives every day is incredibly disappointing and this settlement will do little to address the urgent issue of unmet need.”
carried out by the Care Provider Alliance laid bare the impact. Seventy three per cent of respondents said they would need to refuse to accept new packages of care from councils or the NHS and 64 per cent would need to let staff go. Clearly the scale of the financial challenge facing adult care and support providers is simply much greater than the additional funding announced … £880m for both adult and children’s social care is not going to provide sufficient funding to enable local authorities to meet the increased costs that providers face as a direct result of the Budget.
Care England’s Professor Martin Green OBE commented: “While the announcement of additional £880m funding is welcome, it falls far short of addressing the scale of the crisis. There is a real risk that local authorities, under immense financial pressure, will be left with no choice to divert funds they may have otherwise allocated to social care to other areas. This is not the fault of local authorities ... but rather a direct consequence of the government’s chronic underfunding of both the adult social care sector and local government budgets. “It’s time for the government to stop turning a blind eye; this is no longer a hypothetical crisis. This is happening right now, and the government must act before it is too late.”
February 2025
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com
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