Carers Trust responds to Government's announcement on social care funding
Responding to the Department of Health and Social Care's "The Next Steps to put People at the Heart of Care" announcement, Rohati Chapman, Carers Trust's Executive Director for Programmes, Policy & Impact, said:
“Carers Trust is bitterly disappointed by today’s announcement which shows a huge gulf between the crisis in adult social care and the level of investment being provided to make transformational reforms. Halving social care workforce funding to £250m at a time when the sector is facing a massive shortage will do almost nothing to reverse the sector’s worrying recruitment and retention problems. All it will do is pile ever more caring responsibility onto unpaid carers already exhausted by the steeply increasing number of hours they spend caring for sick and disabled friends and relatives at home.
“Although the £1.4bn Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund for local authorities is welcome, all it really does is respond to the symptoms of the crisis in social care funding rather than its actual causes. We also want to see unpaid carers and local carer organisations included in how the Better Care Fund is spent locally, and welcome new CQC powers to understand and assess how well local authorities are delivering their Care Act responsibilities, as we know that meeting and assessing carers needs can be one of the first service casualties in a challenging financial environment.
“What is glaringly obvious is the absence of plans on how the previously promised £25m for unpaid carers will be spent, despite the funding first being announced in December 2021. Unpaid carers are the backbone of our caring society but they appear to have been overlooked yet again as they struggle to look after their loved ones at home and rely on support organisations that are also under huge financial pressure. The social care crisis will not be resolved unless unpaid carers are recognised for the essential role they play and properly supported. As a charity representing more than 120 carer organisations, Carers Trust stands ready to support the government in developing a long-term strategy for unpaid carers and social care.”
For further information, please contact:
Mark Chandler, mchandler@carers.org and 07712 427808
About Carers Trust
Carers Trust is the UK charity working to transform the lives of unpaid carers across the UK. It partners with its network of local carer organisations to provide funding and support, deliver innovative and evidence-based programmes and raise awareness & influence policy. Carers Trust’s vision is that unpaid carers are heard and valued, with access to support, advice and resources to enable them to live fulfilled lives.