Cuts to social care will continue this year despite ministers putting in an extra £2 billion to halt the deterioration in services, according to research by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS).
Disability Rights UK says that the Government needs to address the social care crisis as a priority, rather than just 'papering over the cracks'. Thousands of disabled people who rely on care support are confined in their own homes, living isolated lives, unable to join in with their local community, or realise their ambitions as equal citizens.
ADASS says for the first time, financial pressures due to the increasing care needs of younger adults with disabilities or mental health problems are greater than those due to supporting older people:
“The fact that there are increasing numbers of older people continues to have an impact and savings are being applied particularly to services for older people. However, the financial effect is now less than it is for the increasing care needs of younger adults with learning or physical disabilities or mental health problems. This year older people’s services account for 1.1% of the total of nearly 3% reported pressures on adult social care budgets, with those people with learning disabilities accounting for a higher percentage at 1.2%. The remaining pressures are from people with physical disabilities or mental health needs.”
The research highlights the proportion of council spending on adult social care is set to increase by 1.3 per cent – from 35.6 per cent in 2016/17 to 36.9 per cent this year.
However, councils are still having to make 8 per cent cuts in overall budgets for a second year in succession due to increasing costs and demand.
Despite the Government making available £2 billion in extra funding Margaret Wilcox President of ADASS warned that adult social care remains “on a cliff edge”:
“Councils are determined to protect adult social services budgets as much as possible, which is reflected in their planned increase in spend on adult social care.
“The welcome £2 billion in funding will help close the funding gap facing adult social care, yet councils still plan to make further savings of £824 million this year which will impact on those who receive care.
This is because more older and disabled people are living longer and with increasingly complex support needs, as well as financial pressures caused by the welcome national living wage and other cost pressures, including emerging ones from the NHS such as fines for delayed transfers of care.”
She added:
“The opportunity to invest in prevention to reduce future demand is being hampered by the need to help those with greatest and immediate need – those who we have a statutory duty towards.
With providers continuing to close or return contracts back to councils, more people are struggling to access the care they need and depend on. To help remedy this worrying situation, the new Government needs to tackle the chronic underfunding of adult social care which still remains on a cliff edge.”