News

“The added workload these assessments are causing for councils must be addressed and councils should be given appropriate additional funding and support in order to participate in them effectively.”

“This is an important moment for adult social care, a lot of work from across the sector has gone into the preparation and execution of these assessments. "

“This is a significant watering down of promises, which even as they stood would only have taken us on the first steps towards a more sustainable and refocused future for social care. People who draw on care and support will understandably feel frustrated and concerned by these developments."

“It is disappointing that so much of the current narrative on social care implies it exists solely to ease pressure on the NHS.”

“A sustainable NHS depends on a sustainable social care system. Instead, the social care system is suffering from long-term underfunding and high vacancy levels across the workforce.”

Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the Local Government Association Community Wellbeing Board said: “This excellent report could be a blueprint for the way forward for adult social care and we fully support the central message that social care should be seen as a “national imperative”. The positive framing of social care and the core focus on people who draw on care and support is particularly welcoming. “It rightly highlights the invisibility of the social care workforce and the incredible work they do to allow those who draw on care to live an equal life. It also brings to light the

“It is extremely concerning to hear reports of older people either reducing or having to consider stopping their social care because of financial concerns."

"This latest report confirms what has been a worrying trend for some years, of persistently high staff turnover and vacancy rates in social care, adding further pressures onto already overstretched services."

"This funding for supporting patient discharges from hospitals will be significant over the winter months. We are pleased to see the importance of social care being recognised in improving this service, but it is vital to remember that social care has huge value to people’s lives in its own right."

Councils are extremely concerned about the current pressures facing social care and the capacity and financial resources required to deliver the Government’s reform agenda.