Responding to the latest ADASS annual survey, Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive of The King's Fund, said:
'The ADASS survey predictably adds to the never-ending drumbeat of evidence that the social care system is fundamentally unfit and financially unsustainable. It aligns with our own analysis earlier this year which found councils are raiding their financial reserves and falling deeper into debt to fund the costs of increasing social care support. We have already seen several councils bankrupted and if these budgetary issues continue it is not unreasonable to expect several more.
'It is not just the financial pressures that should be ringing alarm bells across the sector. The report notes that waiting lists for care are rising once again. This is a cause of real concern and is having an immediate impact on thousands of people and their loved ones, who are left without the care or dignity they deserve.
'Far too many people are being left stranded in a system that feels impossible to navigate, creates unfair regional disparities, and at its core leaves too many without the financial support they need to access the care they should receive.
‘This should be a spur for national action and a long-term plan for social care that gives councils the funding and workforce they need, alongside a more consistent system for assessing people’s needs, so that access to care depends less on where someone lives and more on what support they require. If Andy Burnham becomes Prime Minister, he will inherit a packed in-tray. Tackling the problems endemic in adult social care, and tackling them quickly, must be near the top of that list.'
Notes to editors
The King’s Fund’s annual ‘Social Care 360’ report: Social Care 360 | The King's Fund.
The King’s Fund analysis of the NHS and Social Care interface including work on CHC: The Experience of Patients At The Interface Of Health And Social Care | The King's Fund.
Comments