Last Updated on November 29, 2022
The Care Workers' Charity (CWC) has issued its Autumn Statement response, summarising that the budget gives little hope to care workers.
The CWC joins others across the care sector in sharing its disappointment that funding announced for adult social care in the Autumn Statement focused on freeing up NHS beds rather than reforming social care. The Chancellor highlighted the 'heroic work' of the social care sector during the pandemic – but this recognition means very little when the sector is still chronically underfunded, the CWC reports.
The CWC's Autumn Statement response continues to state that the budget didn’t offer many incentives for care workers to stay in the sector at a time when staff vacancies are at their highest level on record. The Chancellor himself authored a report that said the social care workforce is facing the 'greatest crisis in [its] history'. While many care workers may benefit from the uplift to the minimum wage, this will be more than outweighed by rising council tax, double digit inflation and a projected 7% fall in living standards over the next two years, according to the CWC.
The CWC regards the headline figure of £7.5bn for social care as positive on the surface, but as it digs into this aspect of the Autumn Statement, its response is that of an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. On further inspection, the CWC understands that much of the funding announced last week is not new money. And as Simon Bottery points out, £2.7bn is linked to hospital discharge and a large proportion will be shared with the NHS.
As the CWC pointed out in its response to the Health and Social Care Secretary’s latest speech, adult social care needs to be seen as a crucial public service because it supports people to live the lives they choose. It adds an estimated £51.5bn per annum to the economy in England – it’s not a drain on the public purse.
In 2019, the CWC felt hopeful because the Government stated its ambition to reform social care. But now, the CWC shares the fears of its colleagues at the National Care Forum (NCF) – that reform is now on the back burner. The loss of charging reform means the loss of Fair Cost of Care reforms. Many people will still pay over the odds for social care, even those who don’t have significant assets or savings, the CWC fears. The CWC's Autumn Statement response is calling on Government to deliver on its promises – whether that’s to reform social care or simply to fund it properly.
In other news, a new Welsh Government grant scheme to support energy efficiency improvements and decarbonisation across residential social care providers, which will help the sector deal with the cost of energy crisis, has been launched and is now open for applications.