The third edition of this technical briefing sets out the key facts and figures on funding for social care. Since the previous edition in 2012, the Care Bill has addressed some of Age UK’s concerns about the framework for care and support of older people. From 2015/16, through the Better Care Fund (previously known as the Integration Transformation Fund), the Government has also committed to transferring £3.8 billion from the NHS for joint NHS and local authority funding of heath and care services. However, this transfer can only mitigate and not solve the reduced availability of services caused by real-term cuts in spending and the increase in demand from an increasing population of older people. Despite rising demand for social care services, the funding, and subsequent number of people in receipt of this care, is declining. Without substantial growth in overall funding, the Government’s aspiration to ‘transform the social care system to focus on prevention and the needs and goals of people requiring care’ cannot be achieved. An increased focus on substantial and critical needs risks leaves no public funding available for most of those who need ‘a little bit of help’ to remain active and independent.
(Edited publisher abstract)
The third edition of this technical briefing sets out the key facts and figures on funding for social care. Since the previous edition in 2012, the Care Bill has addressed some of Age UK’s concerns about the framework for care and support of older people. From 2015/16, through the Better Care Fund (previously known as the Integration Transformation Fund), the Government has also committed to transferring £3.8 billion from the NHS for joint NHS and local authority funding of heath and care services. However, this transfer can only mitigate and not solve the reduced availability of services caused by real-term cuts in spending and the increase in demand from an increasing population of older people. Despite rising demand for social care services, the funding, and subsequent number of people in receipt of this care, is declining. Without substantial growth in overall funding, the Government’s aspiration to ‘transform the social care system to focus on prevention and the needs and goals of people requiring care’ cannot be achieved. An increased focus on substantial and critical needs risks leaves no public funding available for most of those who need ‘a little bit of help’ to remain active and independent.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
older people, long term care, local authorities, adult social care, social care provision, eligibility criteria, unmet need, care homes, cutbacks, financing, central government, government policy;