Responding to the ADASS Autumn Survey report on Adult Social Care Budgets and Waiting Times, Dr Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) says:
‘The financial challenges facing the social care sector are stark, but it is not too late for this government to use next week’s Autumn Statement to improve the fragile state of services and support. We must safeguard services for disabled people if statutory requirements are to be met.
‘The latest findings of the ADASS survey reiterate the need for long-term prioritisation and investment by the government in social care. Councils are clearly struggling to fund existing services and, as the recent data from the NCVO (the National Council for Voluntary Organisations) demonstrates, this means charities are being put in the impossible position of being asked to subsidise support to prevent services being pulled away. This position is clearly unsustainable. We need to re-imagine how to commission and deliver services effectively in partnership with disabled people and the third sector.
‘Third sector organisations are well placed to work collaboratively with disabled people, local authorities and other stakeholders to deliver change. VODG has written to all councillors leading on adult social care in England, calling on them to better utilise voluntary sector expertise and bring together commissioning teams and third sector providers to co-produce solutions and transformative approaches to commissioning. Repeating a cycle of cuts and waiting times will only serve to fail more people in need and escalate the numbers facing avoidable crisis.’
ENDS
Notes
- For more information please contact Sarah Woodhouse, Head of Policy and Influencing, VODG by emailing [email protected]
- The Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) is the membership body representing over 145 voluntary sector organisations who support and work alongside disabled people. The combined turnover of our member organisations is £2.8 billion, employing 85,000 staff who support more than one million disabled people.
- Part 2 of the ADASS Autumn Survey Report on adult social care budgets and waiting times can be found here: https://www.adass.org.uk/adass-autumn-survey-part-2
- Our statement on Part 1 of the ADASS Autumn Survey Report on winter pressures is here.