Create 10-Year "Standalone Plan" To Fix Social Care, Say Local Leaders
Health Secretary Wes Streeting speaks with staff on visit to St. George's Hospital, in London
4 min read
The Government must create a decade-long plan for social care if the long-term strategy for repairing the National Health Service hopes to succeed, local authority leaders have said.
The Local Government Association (LGA) said it is "essential" that action on adult social care forms "a core part" of the 10-year plan for the health service.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting launched a consultation in October inviting the country to shape the Government's plans for the NHS.
The Department for Health and Social Care said that the responses will shape plans to fix "broken" health service and build an NHS fit for the future, which are expected to be published in the Spring.
The LGA, which represents councils and local authorities, has submitted proposals to the Government focusing on the importance of social care to the wider NHS challenge.
In the submission, shared with PoliticsHome, the LGA said: "It is essential that action on adult social care forms a core part of the 10-year plan – without this, real change and improvement to people’s lives and outcomes will not be possible."
It said it was "vital" that adult social care "is not left behind again".
"The absence of any announcements on reform, alongside severe escalating financial pressures, and increases in the volume and complexity of demand is becoming more and more of a concern across local government and the wider care sector."
There has been growing concern about the pressures facing social care in the UK while in recent years successive governments have failed to implement major reforms.
A survey early last month showed that 72 per cent of councils overspent on their adult social care budgets in 2023-24.
In an interview with PoliticsHome being published this weekend, Chief Executive Officer of NHS England Amanda Pritchard said it is “definitely not possible to talk about the NHS without talking about social care”.
She said: "It's also really important social care is talked about in its own right, not just in relation to the NHS, but we would absolutely recognise the importance of, just as we did a long-term plan for health, what the government has just said about a similar commitment to doing a long term plan for social care."
Health and Social Care Committee chair Layla Moran recently told The House: "We are basically at a standstill with social care.
"You can’t tackle the issues in the NHS, let alone the wider productivity issues in the economy, in our view, without looking at social care."
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves promised £600m for social care in her October. Budget. This amounts to just 1.5 per cent of the £38.6bn councils have already set aside to spend on adults' and children's social care this year and next.
LGA also called for the Government to inject "immediate funding to alleviate the worst consequences of the current challenges" and "end the reliance on council tax and the social care precept as a key means for funding adult social care".
The LGA said that investing in care and support "must also be seen as a key enabler of delivering the Government’s mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future, particularly the move to a more preventative model of health and care".
"More broadly, given its scale and size, adult social care can play an important part in helping to deliver the Government’s mission on economic growth."
Councilor David Fothergill, Chair of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, told PoliticsHome: “It’s good to see the NHS getting a long-term plan, but adult social care needs the same level of focus and commitment at the top of government.
“A plan for social care reform isn’t just about funding — it’s about thinking through how the government works with the public, private and voluntary sectors, the workforce and — crucially — people drawing on care and support, to codesign a new system that helps people live independent, fulfilling lives."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told PoliticsHome: “This Government is determined to tackle the significant challenges facing adult social care and build a National Care Service so everybody can access the high-quality care they deserve.
“The 10-Year Health Plan will enable health and social care services to work together better to provide that joined-up care.
“The Chancellor has also announced £680m of new social care funding, as well as an £86m increase for the Disabled Facilities Grant, which are part of a wider package to bolster support for councils.”
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