“This invaluable report provides further evidence of the immediate difficulties councils and care providers are facing in delivering care and support. Demand for services is increasing, budgets are not stretching as far, unpaid carers are facing further strains, and recruitment and retention remain huge challenges."
Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing board said:
“This invaluable report provides further evidence of the immediate difficulties councils and care providers are facing in delivering care and support. Demand for services is increasing, budgets are not stretching as far, unpaid carers are facing further strains, and recruitment and retention remain huge challenges.
“The scale of the problems that need to be addressed cannot be understated, and as we move into winter social care can expect to face even more requests for support. The instability of the current market, with so much unmet need and fragile financial situations, needs urgent support from the Government. Adult social care is already facing a funding gap for current services, increasing each year due to inflation and other costs.
“Without adequate funding, some councils will face a battle to balance budgets, worsening existing pressures and running the serious risk of impacts on the ability to deliver timely and quality care to those who draw on it. To address this, we are calling for a greater proportion of the new health and social care levy to go directly towards social care upfront, to reflect the urgency of the situation and help deal with these immediate pressures.”