Description
Funding promised for social care staff has been cut in half, the government has confirmed. Millions of pounds of previously announced funding have been withdrawn for a sector which, according to a recent report, is "on the brink of the abyss" due to rising costs and difficulty recruiting staff. In its People at the Heart of Care white paper on adult welfare reform, published in December 2021, the government pledged to invest "at least £500m over the next three years to start transforming the way that we support social care staff". .
This reform package focuses on giving care the status it deserves
He said that "this dedicated investment in knowledge, skills, health and wellness and recruitment policies will enhance social care as a long-term career option."
But the Department of Health and Social Care has now said that its "request for evidence in partnership with Skills for Care on a new pathway for care workers and funding for hundreds of thousands of training places, including a new certificate of care", it is said to be backed by £250 million.
The 2021 white paper also promised to invest "at least £150m" in digitizing the entire sector.
The department said the figure now stood at £100m, which will cover investments in digital social care records, as it said £50m had already been spent.
Tuesday's announcement made no mention of the previously announced £25m to support unpaid carers or the £300m mentioned in the white paper to integrate housing into local health and care strategies.
The King's Fund health think tank said the measures were "a dark shadow of the large-scale reform of adult social care that this government undertook by promising", while Age UK described them as "not far enough to transform social care.
Social Affairs Minister Helen Whately, who spoke at Care England's annual conference last month to insist that she was part of a government that "supports social care", said the package announced on Tuesday "focuses on recognize attention with the status it deserves".
She said: 'Caring is completely dependent on the people who care for you, with over a million carers working in care homes and agencies, and countless family members, friends and volunteers, acting with kindness of heart.
"That's why this reform package focuses on giving care the status it deserves, while focusing on better use of technology, the power of data and digital care records, and funding for the councils, with the aim of creating a care system we can be proud of".
A March report from Care England and care provider Hft for people with learning disabilities warned that adult social care was "on the brink" of cost, with 42 per cent of respondents having closed part of their organization or handed over contracts to local authorities due to financial pressures.
According to the report, low wages for healthcare workers were considered the biggest obstacle to hiring and retention.
In its announcement on Tuesday, the government said its "updated plan to strengthen the adult social care workforce" would speed up hospital discharge and accelerate the use of technology in the sector over the next two years.
The department said it would launch a senior housing task force in partnership with the Department of Equalization, Housing and Communities "to decide how best to provide a greater range of suitable housing based on the support people need." .
He said £1.6bn will be allocated over the next two years to improve hospital discharge.
A recent analysis by the King's Fund estimated that delays in people leaving hospital in England could cost an average of £395 per night, and suggested that social care and housing issues could contribute to delays in discharge.
The government said it remained "fully committed to the 10-year vision for adult social care set out in the People at the Heart of Care White Paper".
In the autumn statement, the government promised support for adult social services 'supported with up to £7.5bn over the next two years' to help local authorities cope with waiting times for listings and labor pressures in the area.
The Chancellor's Spring Declaration in March was criticized by several industry organizations for failing to mention social protection.
King's Fund policy director Sally Warren questioned why the government appeared to be "silent" about its earlier commitment to unpaid carers, calling it "shortsighted on the part of the government to reverse what was already minimal funding and limited efforts to reform and improve the social". care in areas such as housing, technology and employment support”.
Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said millions of older and disabled people and their unpaid carers "need something much bigger, bolder and more genuinely strategic to give them hope for the future".
He added: “The truth is that the measures in this plan are generally quite small and fundamental, so while they are welcome in themselves, they do not go far enough to transform social care, and that is what we should see today. .
“With much of the money originally promised for care no longer available, our CSA (Care Support Alliance) members tell us this is just the latest in a long line of disappointments regarding recent government performance on care. social".
PA wire
Access
