Making front page headlines...

An interview between our Chair, Mike Padgham and a journalist made front page news on the Yorkshire Post.

In the article, Mike argues that the Government needs to be as bold in its reform of adult social care as Nye Bevan was when setting up the NHS.

He calls for the Government to better reward care staff to help the sector.

Action now, Royal Commissions later, says ICG

SOCIAL CARE needs emergency action today before any cross-party talks or Royal Commissions, The Independent Care Group has warned.

The ICG wants to see the new Labour Government tackle the crisis in social care staffing before any other measures.

Its warning comes amidst reports that the Government wants a Royal Commission on social care to gain cross-party consensus on tackling the crisis.

And it comes after council social care directors warned that the country was struggling to meet ever-more complex demands for care.

ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “We hear today from ADASS that the financial situation in social care is as bad as it has ever been so the need for immediate action has never been greater.

“We fully understand the desirability of getting cross-party agreement on how to tackle the current situation and the appeal of a Royal Commission – but we would say we need to see an emergency switching of funds from the NHS into social care to tackle chronic unmet needs BEFORE setting out on any long-term investigations and reports.

“Tony Blair ordered a Royal Commission on Long-term Care in 1997. It took two years to publish its report and nothing came of it. Since then, we have seen at least eight Green Papers, four White Papers and two government-commissioned enquiries, and are now meeting our 15th secretary of state for health and our 18th minister for social care in that 27-year period. You will understand if we are a little sceptical of any more reports or commissions.”

ADASS – the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services – says its spring survey of councils paints “an unsustainable and worrying picture.”

It reports that more and more people are needing ever more complex care, resulting in others missing out due to stretched resources.

Mr Padgham said the answer lay in getting more resources to councils to commission more care and to improve pay for those working in the sector.

“Everywhere you look there is unmet need and that is only going to get worse, with social care deserts cropping up in some parts of the country,” he added.

“We need to move funding into preventative measures, including social care provision, which keeps people out of hospitals. We can only do that by getting sufficient funding into social care that enables the sector to pay staff properly and tackle the 152,000 staff shortage we currently have.

“Providing care for people in their own home has been a central plank to all governments’ policies in recent years but none has tackled a lack of proper funding that would enable that need to be met.

“As a country we need to be bold and act now so that people can get care at home. And we need to support care and nursing homes, not only because they provide long-term care when it is desirable but for the vital role they also play in rehabilitation, caring for people in the short term so that they can return home – a role that can get overlooked. We need to do all that now, not wait until we have the results of a Royal Commission to tell us what we already know.”

The ICG warns that 1.6m people currently cannot get the care they need and the sector is short of 152,000. The sector will need to recruit an extra 440,000 to meet increasing demand by 2035.

Call for social care partnership for growth

The Independent Care Group says the new Government should work in partnership with providers to create a new powerhouse of social care provision for the country.

The ICG has called for a new spirit of collaboration to tackle the crisis in the sector.

And it says a joint approach between the government and the sector could meet social care needs, boost employment and aid economic growth.

ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “In just a few days, the Government has demonstrated a willingness to take a collaborative approach to issues facing the country – and we believe that is the best way to tackle the challenges facing social care too.

“Far too often in the past, governments have shied away from working with the sector to find solutions with the result that little has been achieved and the crisis in the care of older, vulnerable and disabled adults has deepened.

“Organisations like ours have a depth of experience and understanding of the social care sector that is freely available to the Government, along with our views and practical suggestions on the most important things that can be done to improve social care.

“We very much hope the Government will embrace the opportunity to work with the sector to reform social care for the good of millions of people who need it and those who provide it.”

The ICG has written to the new Prime Minister as well as Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Social Care Minister Stephen Kinnock, seeking a meeting to discuss solutions. Some 1.6m people currently can’t get the care they need and the sector is short of 152,000 staff, with demand for services increasing rapidly.

The ICG welcomed Mr Streeting’s call for the NHS and social care to be “engines of economic growth”.

Mr Padgham added: “This echoes our own approach of the past few years.“We have long argued that aside from the huge social benefits social care provides, it also provides significant economic benefits too.

“The sector employs 1.6m people - which is more than the NHS – and contributes £55.7bn to the economy. Investing in social care would significantly improve both of those figures. Evidence suggests £1 invested in social care brings benefits worth £1.75.

“We will need to grow the sector as we will need an extra 440,000 social care workers to meet rising demand for care services, by 2035.

“Some 80% of us will need social care in our lifetimes and the number of people with dementia will soon top a million.

“At the moment an average of 14,000 people a week can’t leave hospital because there is no social care available for them. Switching funds from the NHS to enable social care to meet that demand through homecare or care and nursing home beds, will actually save the NHS money and boost the economic contribution the sector makes. Everybody wins – especially those people who are crying out for care.”