Rapidly deteriorating picture of social care services

A snap survey of the state of social care services has revealed a rapidly deteriorating picture of hundreds of thousands of older and disabled people left waiting for help despite record increases in care being provided to people in their own homes.

Directors of social services across England are expressing unprecedented alarm at the findings as winter approaches. They say the government must act to stabilise the care system.

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) survey has found that: almost 400,000 people are now waiting for an assessment of their needs or service; more than 1.5 million hours of commissioned home care could not be provided between August and October because of a lack of staff, despite record growth in provision; and one in two councils has had to respond to a care home closure or bankruptcy over the past six months.

Stephen Chandler, ADASS president, said: “This survey confirms our worst fears. Red lights are flashing right across our dashboard. Despite magnificent efforts by the committed, courageous and compassionate people working in social care who are delivering extraordinary amounts of care and support, services are failing to meet everyone’s needs and older and disabled people are suffering.

“The government must now acknowledge the scale of the crisis and step in with emergency funding and measures to ensure we can get through the winter ahead.”

ADASS has previously called for an immediate investment of £1.5 billion to prevent the further collapse of care and an additional £1.5n to support carers.

David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “As we head into another difficult winter, these figures are a stark reminder of the immense scale of the challenge facing people in need or in receipt of adult social care and those who work with them.

“This insightful report on what social care directors are facing on the ground and what actions they want to see makes essential reading for government. We face a huge recruitment and retention crisis in the care workforce, with more than 100,000 vacancies and leaving hundreds of thousands more without essential support.

“Everyone should be able to live the life they want to lead and investment in adult social care is an investment in all of us. The government’s imminent white paper on adult social care should set out precisely how money raised from the new Health and Care Levy will fund all of its recently-announced reforms, while also diverting more money to the frontline to urgently meet immediate pressures, including on care worker pay and staffing.”