Carers Trust Responds to Care Quality Commission's State of Care Report
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published today its annual assessment of the state of health and social care in England. The State of Care report looks at the quality of care in England for the period 2020/21.
The press release accompanying the report warns that, unless “increased stability” in social care and "real collaboration across health and social care" are achieved, there is a risk of a “tsunami of unmet need”.
Other warnings from the statement include:
“As we approach winter, the workforce who face the challenges ahead are drained in terms of both resilience and capacity, which has the potential to impact on the quality of care they deliver.”
“Staffing pressures are being felt across all health and care settings. However, the impact is being seen most acutely in adult social care, where providers are competing for staff with the retail and hospitality industries.”
“Increased stability in social care is the key to unlocking not only improved access and quality of care for the people who use it, but to easing pressure on the NHS by reducing emergency attendances and enabling people to leave hospital in a timely way.”
Responding to the Care Quality Commission Report, Carers Trust’s Executive Director of Policy and External Affairs, Joe Levenson, explains what its findings mean for unpaid family carers:
“Today’s hard-hitting State of Care Report should leave no one in doubt as to how long-term failures to solve social care funding has brought health and social care services to the point of collapse, as well as the impact this will have on unpaid family carers. The CQC’s report lays bare how a demoralised and exhausted workforce has been brought to its knees, and how this in turn has fatally damaged public perceptions of working in the social care sector. And with ever fewer paid care staff left to go into homes, family carers lose that precious chance of even the smallest break from their caring duties.
“We know that even before the pandemic unpaid family carers were already under immense pressure, providing ever increasing levels of care because of weakening capacity within health and social care. If this latest dire warning on the very real risks to our social care system is not acted on now by government, it can mean only one thing for millions of unpaid carers. They will be left to pick up the pieces yet again, forced to take on ever greater, and ultimately unsustainable, responsibility for caring for their relatives while the social care system is allowed to disintegrate around them.”
Ends
Expert spokespeople from Carers Trust are available for interview on request
For further information, and to arrange interviews, please contact:
Matt Whitticase on mwhitticase@carers.org and 07824 539481.
Notes to Editor:
Carers Trust is a major charity for, with and about carers. We work to improve support, services and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring, unpaid, for a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or addiction problems.
We do this with a UK wide network of quality assured independent partners and through the provision of grants to help carers get the extra help they need to live their own lives. With locally based Network Partners we are able to support carers in their homes through the provision of replacement care, and in the community with information, advice, emotional support, hands on practical help and access to much needed breaks. We offer specialist services for carers of people of all ages and conditions and a range of individual tailored support and group activities.
Our vision is that unpaid carers count and can access the help they need to live their lives.