Modernisation needed to combat social care funding crisis, expert says

Health and social care expert for The Access Group, James Taylor (pictured), has called for social care modernisation and funding reforms to combat the local authority funding crisis.

The call follows a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) which showed that council spending on local services fell by more than 20% between 2009-10 and 2017-18.

James said: “This research highlights what many in the health and social care sector have been seeing for some time. The care providers we work with, that are funded by local authorities, are consistently going above and beyond expectations for the people they care for, but it is clear that providers desperately need funding to increase in order to continue to sustain this level of care.

“Government plans for funding reforms are welcomed and we look forward to the eventual publication of the social care Green Paper. It is also encouraging that Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is promoting further modernisation of the sector, which will enable care providers to become more efficient and increase productivity – enabling them to do more with the money they receive from local authorities.

“Care providers are currently doing outstanding work to deliver high standards of care in spite of extremely tight margins caused by increasing operational costs, the rise of the national minimum wage and challenges in recruiting and retaining staff. However, without imminent reforms to funding and increased modernisation, the sector will be in severe danger of financial collapse.”

For more information about The Access Group, please visit: https://www.theaccessgroup.com/care-management/