Everyone is looking in detail at the Government’s Spending Review promises, including the Chancellor’s promise for an additional £4 billion for adult social care in 2028-29.
Part of a broader spending package for healthcare revealed in Rachel Reeves’ plan, the new funding is a welcome increase, but one that feels frustratingly disconnected from the realities facing the sector today.
Her speech in Parliament barely acknowledged the needs of adult social care in England, but a deeper dive into the Spending Review document at least admits there are “significant challenges”.
As part of this promise for more funding, a new independent commission led by Baroness Louise Casey will be set up to explore reforms.
However, this won’t get underway until the later part of this year and the roadmap beyond this first phase is incredibly vague.
To those in need of care, such as the people who use and rely on our services, this wait is just too long.
Every government that has come and gone continues to pledge their commitment to fixing social care or integrating into the NHS, but actual action remains very limited.
At Nexus Care Services, we see every day the impact that this uncertainty around funding has on people.
Thousands of elderly people want to stay in their homes and communities, surrounded by the familiar, with the support of dedicated home care teams.
It’s what most families want for their loved ones, too. Dignified, personal, community-based care, but far too often, they’re told there’s not enough funding. Care packages are delayed, pared back, or declined altogether.
The additional £29 billion investment in the NHS each year is the biggest cash injection in its history and will help many patients and staff.
Unfortunately, it is my strong belief that without a strong and properly integrated adult social care system, the NHS will continue to be overwhelmed.
The two systems are intertwined. You cannot fix one without the other. Home Care keeps people out of the hospital and helps them leave the hospital sooner and more safely.
It prevents decline in patients and reduces pressure on A&E and GP services. Whilst I am sure the Government is aware of this and has been told by various advisors about the benefits of achieving an integrated system, nothing is done and both parts of the healthcare sector suffer as a result.
A proper plan for integration is urgently needed. One that ensures local authorities have the means to commission quality home care services.
One that values the care workforce and provides funding not just for future reforms, but for the immediate delivery of care today.
As it stands, the extra £4 billion pledged is still four years away. It doesn’t help the person in their eighties stuck in the hospital because there’s no care package or funding in place.
The needs are here now. The funding gaps are here now. The opportunity to support people to live well, independently, in their own homes is here now.
Until we see real, immediate action and a joined-up approach between the NHS and social care, this feels like yet another case of kicking the can down the road.
We can and must do better, because the people we care for don’t have the luxury of waiting until 2028.
By Samuel Court, Director at Nexus Care Services