THE Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, Andrea Sutcliffe, has warned that huge cuts in funding in recent years have left the social care sector under ‘stress and strain’.
According to the Local Government Association, £4.6bn has been cut from social care budgets in the last five years. Sutcliffe said demoralised carers are working long hours in difficult conditions for poor pay.
In an Observer interview yesterday, she warned that much good work in nursing homes and on visits to the elderly was being done ‘despite the system’. She added that: ‘The social care sector is certainly under stress and strain. And that is a combination of all sorts of factors – the increased numbers of people who need care and support, and the increased complexity of their needs.
‘But the other thing I would pick up on with the stresses and strain on the system, and the impact on quality, is the role of the commissioners and the funders. There is an important responsibility in the role of those funding care – local authorities or clinical commissioning groups – to really understand what the true cost of care is, what true quality looks like and to make sure they are commissioning services that meet those standards and providers are given the appropriate funding to enable them to do that.’
Public sector union Unison’s Save Care Now campaign commented: ‘Homecare workers are worried. Councils are allowing care providers to cut corners and the elderly and disabled people that need homecare are not getting the support they should. Thousands of care workers are deeply concerned about the state of the care sector in the UK, but many are afraid to speak out publicly as they risk losing their jobs. It’s time to listen to them. We are calling on councils to sign Unison’s Ethical Care Charter, a set of commitments that together ensure the health, safety, and dignity of the UK’s most vulnerable people.’
