• The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) published its annual budget survey.
• It reveals how the failure to address long-term funding for adult social care is negatively affecting those who rely on these services.
• Since the beginning of the decade, adult social care directors in councils across England have had to make £7bn of savings, and need to find a further £700m for 2019/20.
• More than 7,000 people have been affected by care home closures and home care providers closing or ceasing to trade in the last six months, more than double the number affected last year.
• It states that this will have a significant impact on the NHS, including more admissions and greater demand on hospitals.
  
  

Responding to the ADASS Budget Survey 2019, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said:

“This report makes it clear that the social care sector is in a perilous state. For too long action to address this critical issue has been put off, and this is leaving vulnerable people without the care they need. This can’t go on.

For too long action to address this critical issue has been put off, and this is leaving vulnerable people without the care they need. This can’t go on.

Miriam Deakin    Co-Director of Development and Engagement

“Directors of adult social care are sending a clear message – they do not believe that this situation is going to improve in the short term. The ongoing uncertainty around funding for social care is forcing them to make incredibly difficult decisions over the future of local care services. Each decision has a real impact on the quality of care somebody receives.

“The NHS and social care are two sides of the same coin. So this will also have a significant impact on the NHS, as more people seek urgent and emergency care or end up staying in hospitals longer than they need to.

It is evident that emergency or one-off funding injections are only a sticking plaster solution.

Miriam Deakin    Co-Director of Development and Engagement

“It is evident that emergency or one-off funding injections are only a sticking plaster solution. This is why NHS Providers is one of 15 health organisations in the Health for Care coalition, led by the NHS Confederation, calling for a long-term, sustainable funding solution for adult social care. It is vital we move towards this within the upcoming spending review.”