Hft statement on Panorama’s Crisis in Care, Part One: Who Cares?
Following BBC One’s Panorama: Crisis In Care, Part One: Who Cares? programme on 29 May 2019, Hft has issued the following statement.
Hilary Crowhurst, Executive Director of Operations and Development at Hft commented: “Last night’s Panorama documentary lays bare the true cost of the chronic underfunding of local authorities and continued government inaction to find a sustainable funding solution.
“As local authorities and families struggle under continued financial pressures, so too do providers. Hft’s Sector Pulse Check report showed that 59% of social care providers have had to hand back contracts to local authorities in the past year due to financial pressures. Panorama’s documentary should be the start of a national debate on the future funding of adult social care in England.
“It was welcome that Panorama focused on all aspects of adult social care in its documentary. While a lot of media focus is given to support for the elderly, learning disability support accounts for over one-third of adult social care spend in England and it is the fastest growing. In Somerset alone, it accounts for 20% of their total adult social care spend. Paul’s story showed the challenges we will face in funding support for adults with learning disabilities, as they continue to live longer lives, while displaying increasingly complex needs.
"With the right support, adults with learning disabilities can lead happy and fulfilling lives. However, from the interviews of families, council staff and people receiving support, it is clear that the current system is simply not delivering the best outcomes for anybody involved in social care.
“As a charity that has contracts with over 120 local authorities, we see the challenges being faced by Somerset Council being repeated in local authorities across the country. This is a national crisis that requires a national solution.
“Hft appeals to the government to bring forward its green paper as a matter of urgency. Working together with local authorities, good providers, commissioners and the people who use our services, we need to find a sustainable funding solution for the social care sector.”
