Local and central government and sector leaders are calling for a prevention-led overhaul of adult social care underpinned by local leadership and system sustainability.
In a report out today from the Local Government Association (LGA) as it kicks off its annual conference, the body representing councils in England warned that reform will only ‘stick’ if councils remain at the heart of delivery.
The ‘Care Where We Live’ report, which has been shared with the Casey Commission on adult social care, said there is ‘strong cross-party consensus and across the sector for a future system of adult social care that is place-based, preventative, and grounded in lived experience’ – but that the government needs to end ‘decades of political indecision and delay’ and make the case to the public for a national funding solution.
It added that one in five councils may require exceptional financial support within the next year,
Public consultation
It comes after MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee last week warned the Prime Minister will have ‘no excuse’ not to begin fixing social care before the next General Election.
Baroness Louise Casey told the committee last week that she’s ready to bring forward her independent commission recommendations this year, and said she will soon launch a public consultation on new ways to fund services.
The chair of the independent commission confirmed plans to ‘launch a national conversation with the public later this summer’ during her speech at the LGA conference today.
The consultation will ‘engage with hundreds of thousands of people across the country through bringing together representative groups of the public, letting people have their say online and speaking directly to people who get care and support’ according to a statement from the Commission.
Baroness Casey told local government leaders: “We cannot keep pretending that a few tweaks will fix adult social care or attempt major reform without the public’s backing.
“That means having a proper conversation with the public about who social care is for, what the state should provide, what families can reasonably be expected to do, and what we should all contribute in return.
“Without that honest conversation with the nation about the difficult choices involved, we will be back here again and again,” she added.
Promoting prevention
Meanwhile, the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), which contributed evidence to the LGA’s report, called for the Casey Commission to focus on promoting prevention.
SCIE emphasised that earlier intervention improves outcomes and reduces long-term system costs, aligning with existing duties under the Care Act 2014. It also highlights the need to address variation in care quality and access, signalling a more standardised but locally delivered model as part of any future National Care Service.
Interim chief executive Gerard Crofton-Martin said the challenge facing social care is “not simply responding to rising demand, but ensuring that we prevent, delay, or reduce the need for more intensive services, maximise independence, and enable people to live well in the place they call home.”
