News / Report calls for sweeping social care reform

The report from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), based on a survey of over 150 adult social care directors across England, said that recent government funding boosts have cut waiting lists and expanded support for people at home. However, the ADASS spring survey 2023 also reported that waiting lists remain very high and are at risk of rising again in winter if more staff aren’t brought in to meet the growing demand. These are in addition to a record high NHS backlog, rising needs for mental health services, and increasing carer breakdown.

According to councillor David Banes, vice-chair of the Local Government Association’s community wellbeing board, directors are also facing big financial demands: ‘The fact that directors are having to plan savings of £806m as part of a wider council budget-setting in 2023/24 further demonstrates the extremely challenging situation adult social care is facing.’

These pressures have mounted to the point that 76% of the adult social care directors surveyed are not confident they can meet the legal minimum level of services required of them during the 2024/25 period.

Miriam Deakin (pictured), director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, echoed these concerns: ‘Adult social care is in a worrying place,’ she said. ‘Social care and the NHS are interdependent. Pressure on overstretched NHS services is felt by social care services. Both need sustainable, long-term funding and staffing.’

The directors surveyed by ADASS called on the government to commit to improvement in three key areas:

• invest in support that helps people avoid or minimise their time in hospitals and care homes during the winter period
• focus on improving support for carers and workforce pay, rather than on international recruitment
• develop a long-term, fully funded plan for broad changes to the social care system.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, backed the calls for more investment: ‘The increase in demand for care means that there needs to be a focus on consistent, long-term funding in all areas of social care as well as investment in primary and community health services.’ He added: ‘The underlying issue is staffing and with gaping vacancies in social care, the government must listen to the suggestions in the report and unlock the £600m funding so that teams have the right workforce in place.’