Sector’s Disappointment at Chancellors Spring Budget

CARE providers, and industry bodies have reacted with dismay to the Chancellor s spring budget earlier this month

The Independent Care Group (ICG) says there was nothing in Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s speech to tackle the 1 6m people who cannot get the care they need

ICG Chair Mike Padgham said “I’ll add an extra ‘E to Mr Hunt’s list and that is, ‘Excluded’

“There was nothing in the budget to tackle the rationing of care, help us to recruit the 165,000 staff needed or support those unpaid carers who are giving up so much to help others

“It was another opportunity missed With a rare, £30bn fiscal windfall, the Chancellor had an opportunity to give social care the minimum £7bn a year extra he has previously admitted the sector needs ”

The ICG says more money is needed to pay frontline care staff better so that the sector can tackle the 165 000 staff vacancies in the sector

“Care and nursing homes and homecare providers are struggling and closing and more and more people are going to end up going without the care they need ” Mr Padgham added

“Government after government of all political colour have failed to tackle the crisis in the sector On social care this Government like all others before it has failed to fix the roof while the sun was shining ”

In the past when he was Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee Mr Hunt said social care needed at least an extra £7bn a year “just to stand still”

Mr Padgham added: “Mr Hunt seems to have forgotten that pledge and instead left social care to continue to struggle ”

Professor Vic Rayner OBE CEO of the NCF said: “The next General Election has to take place by the end of 2024 and the announcements made today are those that the government is banking on making a tangible difference by then

“Making working in care more affordable is absolutely the right thing to do Two elements of today’s budget support that ambition, and we welcome both the increased availability of funded childcare and the extension of the Energy Price Guarantee to ensure that households are not faced with further catastrophic increases in energy bills However we are disappointed that there is no further tailored support for the catastrophic energy costs being faced by all of our not-for-profit members

“The recognition that workers over 50 are an integral part of the workforce is welcome but the government has missed a massive opportunity to lay out clear strategy for investing in a fully funded workforce plan that enables the care workforce to be paid at a rate that recognises their skills knowledge and expertise

“The focus on getting the nation working reveals an obvious gap in the Chancellor’s logic Carers UK suggests that 41% of those who became carers in the last decade are aged between 45 and 65 prime working age according to the Chancellor Therefore supporting their ability to stay in the workforce by increasing both the support to carers and the availability of high-quality care through a sustainable social care sector should surely be a fundamental tenet of the Chancellor s announcements ”

Professor Martin Green OBE Chief Executive of Care England says:

“The Autumn Statement announced £7 5 billion for the social care sector over the next two years aimed at creating an additional 200 000 new care packages supporting the discharge of people from hospital to ease NHS backlog whilst also being split across adult and child services Care England’s recent Fair Cost of Care analysis shows that even with this funding, the deficit for older person’s residential and nursing home stands at around £2bn per annum While the £7 5bn represented a step in the right direction the Spring Budget was an opportunity to reinforce this progress and move towards a sustainable funding settlement for the sector It was an opportunity that, unfortunately the Government did not take with a notable lack of any announcements targeted at the sector Against the backdrop of a workforce crisis and rising vacancies, the rising cost of living and increasing energy costs the stabilisation of the adult social care sector should be the Government s priority in the coming months The NHS cannot survive in the long term if the social care sector is unsustainable A political consensus must be forged on how to fund and support our vital sector sustainably over the long term

Martin Green added: “Social care is vital for the future of local people and local economies It supports some of society’s most vulnerable, often living with lifelong conditions and is a source of employment for millions of hardworking dedicated people across England Social care must become a priority for the country With an ageing population and demand for services to increase the Government requires a sustainable roadmap for the social care sector that will meet the country s social needs and support the NHS in reducing waiting lists Care England will continue to work pragmatically to present solutions which seek to resolve the issues faced by all those within the sector and those who draw on care and support Investment in the sector is key and will only be achieved with a clear long-term care strategy which is properly funded and we hope that the forthcoming Implementation Plan due to be published in Spring delivers on this ”