£650m for social care
BRITAIN’S crisis-hit social care system got an emergency injection of £650million in today’s Budget – but pensioners and carers will have to wait for the full rescue plan.
The Chancellor also announced an additional £45million for adaptations to the homes of disabled people in England in 2018/19 and will invest a further £84million over the next five years to expand children’s social care programmes.
The £650million is for English local authorities for 2019/20, on top of £240million previously announced to help the struggling sector cope with winter pressures.
Mr Hammond also confirmed a £20.5billion real-terms increase for the NHS over the next five years.
But the additional spending “only just staves off total collapse”, say charities and campaigners.
Glen Garrod, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, said: “This is still far short of the £2.35billion we identified would be needed for social care to stand still in 2019/20. Councils have been struggling with funding shortfalls for years.”
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This amount of money only just staves off total collapse of the sector.
Neglected
“It does nothing for people with dementia who are footing the bill themselves, while people with other diseases are getting free support through the NHS.”
Just 14 per cent of people save for any care they may need in old age and 22 per cent mistakenly think that all care is state-funded. The care bill is set to rise by 159 per cent by 2040 to £18.7billion.
Mr Hammond repeated statements that the Government’s longawaited social care reforms would be published “shortly”.
“I recognise the immediate pressures local authorities face in respect of social care,” he said.
“This allows councils to improve services for older people, for people with disabilities and for children in care now, while longer-term funding decisions will be made at the spending review.”
Voluntary Organisations Disability Group chief executive Dr Rhidian Hughes called his announcement “short-sighted”.
He said: “It fails to acknowledge the risks facing a crucial but woefully under-funded sector delivering support for millions of older and disabled people every day.”
Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation representing organisations across the healthcare sector, said: “Social care has been consistently underfunded, neglected and unloved by politicians over many years and the extra funding announced today – again welcome – is clearly inadequate.
“What we needed was support to get the system back on its feet, but what we have is yet another sticking plaster.”