National disability charity Sense has expressed concerns that the government is ignoring the need for an integrated health and social care system.
Sense has responded to yesterday’s speech by Prime Minister Theresa May that no funding will be provided to tackle the care crisis until the “forthcoming spending review.”
The speech follows yesterday’s announcement that NHS funding will receive an average annual increase of 3.4%, as part of a "multi-year" settlement to mark its 70th anniversary.
Sense has been calling on the government to focus on delivering an integrated and sustainable health and social care system that works to meet the needs of disabled people and provides better care for people accessing services.
Speaking after the speech yesterday, Richard Kramer, Deputy CEO of Sense, said: “Today’s speech by the Prime Minister is a clear cop out on tackling the social care crisis. While we recognise the valuable role the NHS plays in the lives of people with complex disabilities, the announcement by the Prime Minister does little to alleviate our concerns about sustaining the social care system. Instead, we are at a crisis point where the only solution to alleviate the problem is more funding.
“Funding the NHS in isolation is simply not enough to prevent an already fragile social care system from crumbling. The government cannot continue to delay decisions about social care funding until the autumn. We are still awaiting the Social Care Green Paper but this must not be used as a delay tactic; the social care system needs funding now as well as a long term solution which integrates effectively with the NHS. Many of the people we support rely on social care services to enable them to live independently, with dignity and as active members of their community.
“While it is right to inject more funds into the NHS, the impact of inadequate funding of social care on the overall health of the country must not be forgotten. The writing is on the wall for social care, unless the government recognises that an integrated health and social care system is needed, in order to maintain quality services for all who need them.”
