Responding to the National Audit Office's report on Reforming Adult Social Care, Dr Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive of VODG says:
‘Social care is essential to people’s quality of life and daily experiences and should be prioritised as such. Yet this report again demonstrates the significant lack of progress, prioritisation and understanding this government has for social care.
‘The issues with the system are well known but the government is choosing not to address them. There is no long-term plan for the social care workforce, no sustainable funding settlement and no meaningful integration of services despite the policy rhetoric. Instead the Department of Health and Social Care holds onto a narrow view of social care, as evidenced by the fair cost of care funding, that limits the scope of the reforms that are bought in and leads to a two-tier system of social care, with disabled people and working age adults often being an afterthought.
'The recommendation offered by the National Audit Office, should these be adopted by the Department of Health and Social Care, must be implemented in such a way as to include all people who rely on essential care and support services to live independent and fulfilling lives. This means that alongside charging reform for people who pay for their own care, full attention should also be given to resourcing care and support for disabled people with life-long conditions who are wholly reliant on the state to pay for their own care. It is this group who continue to be disproportionately affected by current approaches.
‘Much more needs to be done to ensure all those who need it, can access services and receive the right level of support for them. It is not too late for this government to improve the fragile state of the social care sector and to safeguard existing and future support of people who rely on care services.’
ENDS
Members can find a short summary of the report and link to our feedback to the NAO earlier this year here: https://www.vodg.org.uk/resource/summary-national-audit-office-adult-social-care-reform-report.html