• The Health Foundation has published The real cost of a fair adult social care system
• It finds that there will be a social care funding gap of £4.4bn in England in 2023/24 to meet rising demand and address critical staffing shortages in the sector.
• The analysis also shows that England spends considerably less on publicly funded adult social care per person than Scotland and Wales,
• It warns that poor pay and conditions in social care are a major threat to the quality of care and future sustainability of the sector.

The director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said:

 “These findings from the Health Foundation underline the perilous state of the social care sector.

“We must urgently take steps to close the growing gap between the demand for social care services and the funding available. Further inaction to agree to a sustainable funding model and address severe staff shortages in the sector risks leaving vulnerable people without the care they need.

Further inaction to agree to a sustainable funding model and address severe staff shortages in the sector risks leaving vulnerable people without the care they need.

Miriam Deakin    Co-Director of Development and Engagement

“The NHS and social care are two sides of the same coin.  We must invest appropriately in social care services if people are to access the health and care support they deserve, and to avoid additional pressure on accident and emergency services.

“That is why NHS Providers is one of 15 health organisations in the Health for Care coalition, led by the NHS Confederation, calling for urgent action to address the social care crisis. We must see movement on this through the forthcoming spending review and green paper.”