Funding for social care overhaul cut by 58% – as govt accused of 'chronic neglect'

The authorities has minimize the funding for its proposed overhaul of grownup social care by 58%, in accordance with a report from the National Audit Office (NAO).

The watchdog mentioned that regardless of being simply two years into the 10-year scheme, plans to cap the price of lifetime care had been delayed and different proposals had been scaled again, with even revised insurance policies falling delayed.

The NAO mentioned over £1bn of the £1.7bn allotted by the Treasury for the reforms had now been “diverted to other care priorities”, with the money being “reprioritised… in favour of helping to stabilise the sector”, as hovering inflation continued to “compound long-standing pressures”.

A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson insisted ministers “remain committed to reform”.

But Labour mentioned the report “makes clear that the Conservatives will break their promise to ‘fix the crisis in social care once and for all’ by the next election”.

The Liberal Democrats mentioned it confirmed a “chronic neglect of adult social care” underneath the Tories.

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In its report, the NAO pointed to the ministerial determination final autumn to postpone placing £3.6bn into price reforms, and as a substitute commit as much as £7.5bn to the care sector.

That included £2.7bn to dish out to native authorities to assist ease rapid pressures – one thing the watchdog described as “welcome relief”.

But it warned funding “may not be reaching areas that need it most”, with the federal government having didn’t replace its method for distribution since 2014 – which means up-to-date native variations in want hadn’t been taken into consideration.

According to figures from the DHSC, one in six councils anticipated demand for grownup social care to exceed capability over the approaching winter.

The NAO mentioned there had been “recent signs of improvement” in grownup social care, however total it remained “under significant pressure”, with double the variety of folks ready greater than six months for a care evaluation in March 2023, in comparison with the top of 2021 – round 82,000.

And vacancies within the sector nonetheless stand at round 152,000 – an equal of 10% of the workforce.

The watchdog mentioned that, regardless of there being “much to do” for the federal government to attain its 10-year targets, the DHSC had no “overarching programme to coordinate its reforms, making it difficult to know if it is on track to achieve its objectives”, and no “long-term funded plan for transforming adult social care”.

It known as for the division to evaluate the impacts of its present plans and set out the way it intends to fund its future ones.

“Adult social care reform has been an intractable political challenge for decades,” mentioned Gareth Davies, head of the NAO.

“Government has set out its ambition to meet this challenge and now needs to demonstrate how it is delivering on these plans.”

He added: “If [the] government is to successfully reform adult social care, it will need to manage some significant risks, including its own capacity and that of local government to resume charging reform activity alongside system reform.

“To maximise its probabilities of succeeding, [the] authorities might want to guarantee it understands the affect of its ambitions on native authorities and different stakeholders and set up a costed plan which ensures supply of its long-term targets.”

A spokesperson for the Labour Party mentioned: “This report makes clear that the Conservatives will break their promise to ‘fix the crisis in social care once and for all’ by the next election.

“Delays and watered-down workforce reforms will go away the sector with out the care staff it wants. People will wait longer and longer for care, as there merely aren’t sufficient employees.”

Lib Dem health spokesperson Daisy Cooper added: “This damning report exhibits the continual neglect of grownup social care underneath this Conservative authorities.

“The shockingly dismal state of care is putting huge pressure on the NHS while leaving the elderly and vulnerable to suffer.”

Ms Cooper additionally accused the Tories of getting “repeatedly broken their promises on social care and delayed proposals for a lifetime cap on care costs”.

But a DHSC spokesperson: “We remain committed to reform, and are investing up to £700m over this year and next to make major improvements to the adult social care system.

“This contains £42.6m to help innovation in care and rising the Disabled Facilities Grant by £50m.

“Additionally, we have made up to £8.1bn available to help local authorities tackle waiting lists, low fee rates, and workforce pressures, £570m of which will help local authorities improve adult social care provision, in particular by boosting the workforce.”