Dismay over timetable for social care reform

The Independent Care Group today welcomed new measures to support social care but expressed its dismay over a timetable for greater reform.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced an extra £86m to support people with disabilities to continue living independently at home through the Disabled Facilities Grant.

He also announced plans to train social care workers to carry out more health checks and procedures to relieve pressure on the NHS. And there were measures aimed at improving access to new technology.

At the same time, Mr Streeting announced that the government will launch an independent commission into adult social care to be chaired by Baroness Louise Casey. In two phases, the commission will first report back in 2026 and report its longer-term recommendations in 2028.

ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “We welcome the measures announced today, especially those that help people remain independent in their own homes.

“And we have argued for some time that social care staff should be able to undertake the kind of health checks and treatments that are highlighted today, as it makes sense for them to be done by staff who are working with people every day rather than waiting for a doctor or nurse to visit.

“My concern over this measure, is that if it isn’t supported by more funding to social care, it will heap further pressure on staff in a sector that is already straining under the pressure and working with 131,000 staff vacancies.

“After 30 years of neglect, social care sector is on its knees and my biggest disappointment from today’s announcement is the timetable for major reform.

“We have to wait until mid-2026 before first stage reporting from the commission and then no doubt it will take time to implement the reforms.

“Then the second phase reports in 2028, again a long way down the road and perilously close to another General Election. If the Government doesn’t get a second term, what happens to the recommendations?

“The sector has had enough of reports, we need to see urgent action. We might not have all the perfect solutions at hand, but we can’t have utopia and we need to make a start.  In the past 20 years we have had five health secretaries and 18 ministers and in that time, eight green papers, four white papers, two inquiries and numerous other reports.

“I can see why the Government would want cross-party consensus on this, but my fear is that it might just add further delays, which I suspect is what has happened in the past.

“We know what needs to be done and we want to see the Government be bold and get on with it. Social care providers have lots of knowledge and expertise and are ready to add our help in tackling the issues.

“We need to see a true National Care Service, with health and social care merged, better pay and conditions for social care staff – on a par with their NHS counterparts - and an immediate injection of cash into social care, with £2bn widely regarded as the minimum needed, with some of that switched from the NHS.

“We cannot fix the NHS without fixing social care first and we cannot wait until 2026 and beyond for that reform to begin.

“We already know that social care is struggling. A survey of providers by the Care Provider Alliance found that 22% were planning to close their business; 73% will have to refuse new referrals from local authorities or the NHS; 57% planned to hand back some contracts and 64% feared having to make staff redundant.

“The rise in Employer’s National Insurance Contributions and increases in the National Living and Minimum wages will create real hardship for care providers, so we need action now to save the sector from decimation and a loss of provision.

“Whilst today’s measures are welcome, they still expose a lack of urgency in reforming social care. We need reform so that we can start giving care to the 2m who currently can’t get it and so that social care can play its part in supporting the Government’s reform of the NHS, not least its desire to move care from hospital to community. That cannot happen while ever social care is in crisis and unable to deliver.”

Social care is being backed into a corner over lack of reform, ICG warns

The Independent Care Group has warned that social care will have to take some form of action if changes do not come quickly enough to save the sector.

The ICG is angry that repeated warnings over the crisis in the care of older, vulnerable and disabled adults are continuing to go unheeded.

This comes after the Local Government Association called for a 10-year plan for social care to enable the Government's 10-year NHS plan to succeed.

ICG Chair Mike Padgham welcomed the LGA call and urged the Government to agree.

“It is very clear that the Government’s 10-year plan for NHS reform is doomed to fail if it is not matched by similar reform of social care," he said. "You cannot fix the NHS without fixing social care. You cannot move from hospital to community if there is no community there to look after you.

“Here we have a very stark warning from the LGA that councils are having to dip into their reserves in their struggle to keep pace with the rising demand for social care. The LGA is 100% correct in saying that we need a standalone plan for social care with the people who need care at the heart of it.”

Mr Padgham said the sector was sick of being pushed further and further down government priorities and the time was fast approaching when it would have to take action as that was the only way to get its case heard.

“I think providers feel they have been ignored for too long and that they are being backed into a corner. It is sad, but they are looking at what GPs, nurses, doctors and most recently, farmers, have done to protest at their situation.”

The proposed increase in Employer’s National Insurance contributions, along with increases in the National Living and National Minimum wages, are pushing many providers to fear for the future.

Last month, a survey of 1,180 care providers, carried out by the Care Provider Alliance, found that 22% of those who responded were planning to close their business; 73% will have to refuse new referrals from local authorities or the NHS; 57% planned to hand back some contracts and 64% feared having to make staff redundant.

“If those things happen as the survey predicts, more and more people will end up going without the care they need, adding to the 2m who currently can’t access care,” Mr Padgham added.

“We have been waiting more than 30 years for reform to social care, seeing government after government kick the issue down the road time and time again. This Government seems intent on doing the same, avoiding facing up to reforming social care.”

“Central to the Government’s plans for the NHS is moving from hospital to community, but they aren’t going to achieve that unless they get social care fit for purpose – not least so that they can discharge the thousands currently in hospital fit enough to be discharged but without care packages to enable it.”

ICG angry over 'meaningless' Govt response to ENIC petition

The Independent Care Group has reacted angrily to a “meaningless” Government response to a petition calling for the sector to be exempt from the increase in National Insurance many fear will damage care.

The petition has so far reached 31,000 signatures and when it passed 10,000 it required a Government response.

In that response, the Government says help in meeting the extra National Insurance costs will only go to public sector organisations.

It says extra funding has been made available to local authorities to support social care and that further reform of the sector “will not happen overnight”.

The care provider organisation, The Independent Care Group (ICG) has reacted angrily to the Government’s response.

ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “This response is to a great extent meaningless and not very helpful and should serve as an incentive to the sector to get the petition past 100,000 signatures and to press for a full debate on the issue. I would urge all providers to sign the petition straight away and send the message to the Government that we are not happy with the situation.

“Limiting Government support to public sector organisations blatantly ignores the fact that the bulk of adult social care is delivered by independent providers delivering publicly-funded care to older, vulnerable and disabled people. If social care is not made exempt from the ENIC increase or better funding made available, there will be more provider closures and less and less care delivered – adding to the 2m who currently can’t get the care they need.

“The response refers to the total budget the Government is making available to local authorities but only some £600m extra has been allocated for social care – that won’t go anywhere near meeting the extra £2.8bn increase in costs the social care sector is facing due to the National Insurance increase and rises in the National Living and National Minimum wages.

“As to the reference to change not happening overnight, that almost beggars belief. We have been waiting more than 30 years for reform to social care, seeing government after government kick the issue down the road time and time again. This Government seems intent on doing the same, avoiding facing up to reforming social care.”

The ICG has called for a concerted effort to get the petition over 100,000 to persuade the Government to debate the issue.

It has also called on the Government to wake up to the vital role social care plays and how vital it is to future NHS reforms.

Mr Padgham added: “The Prime Minister has today made cutting NHS waiting lists one of his milestones on which to judge the Government.

“But he does so without mentioning reform of social care, which surely goes hand in hand with any improvements to the NHS. The Government cannot achieve one without the other.

“Central to the Government’s plans for the NHS is moving from hospital to community, but they aren’t going to achieve that unless they get social care fit for purpose – not least so that they can discharge the thousands currently in hospital fit enough to be discharged but without care packages to enable it.”

People can sign the National Insurance petition here:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700080#:~:text=Petition%20Exempt%20all%20social%20care,by%20funding%20and%20staffing%20issues