The Independent Care Group says the failure to include reform of social care in the remit of an important new report on the state of the NHS, ‘beggars belief’.
And the ICG today warns that the Government will not fix the NHS until it has fixed adult social care too.
The warning comes as a new report on the state of the NHS by Professor Ara Darzi is published.
It talks about an NHS that was unable to cope with the Covid pandemic because it had been seriously weakened over the previous decade. And it acknowledges that social care is in a dire state due to under-resourcing.
ICG Chair, Mike Padgham said: “We are pleased that Lord Darzi’s report acknowledges the crisis in adult social care due to under-resourcing and the human and economic consequences this has had.
“But we are dismayed that adult social care was not included in the remit of the report in the first place. That is a serious omission and makes something of a nonsense of the whole process. It is like getting a surveyor’s report on the crumbling foundations of a house but ignoring the holes in the roof – the building is going to collapse anyway!
“For politicians to keep talking about reform of the NHS without including reform of social care at the same time, beggars belief.”
The ICG argues that investing in adult social care reform would save money for the NHS by providing more care in the community rather than in expensive hospital beds.
“You can’t fix the NHS unless you fix social care,” Mr Padgham added. “We currently have 1.6m people who cannot get the care they need and a shortage within the social care workforce of 131,000 staff. If you address those issues, and the chronic underfunding of social care for the past 30 years, you will begin to take the pressure off the NHS and significantly help its reform.
“We need to switch resources from the NHS into social care so providers can recruit the staff they need to provide more care, ultimately saving money for the NHS.
“The health secretary, Wes Streeting, has identified cutting waiting lists as his top priority and includes more care in the community and more preventative care, as levers towards achieving that.
“That means tackling the crisis in social care so that it can provide that community care and that preventative care, keep people out of hospital and help cut waiting lists.
“But at the moment, all the focus is on the NHS without any attention on social care reform. Unless you fix social care, you will be wasting your time. The social care sector has the answers, and we urge the Government to engage with us as a matter of urgency.”
Labour recently appointed Alan Milburn, health secretary in Tony Blair’s government, from 1999 to 2003, to a role in future NHS reform. Mr Padgham said the government should look back at a document published at that time. In Building Capacity and Partnership in Care, published in 2001, Mr Milburn wrote about care providers, commissioners and government working together to provide the best care for patients and service users.
“Some 23 years later, we still haven’t got to the point where all three are truly working together to deliver the care that people need,” Mr Padgham added.
“Maybe with Mr Milburn playing a role he can remind the new Labour government of that goal.”
Last month Mr Padgham wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging him to ‘end the scandal of older, vulnerable and disabled people going without care’.
In the letter, Mr Padgham wrote: “Without proper support for social care and the creation of a sector that can offer care, when and where it is needed, the NHS will stay on its knees.
“There are 1.6m people who cannot get the care they need and many thousands in hospital because there is no social care available for them. These are our mothers and fathers, our aunts and uncles, brothers, sisters and friends. This is a scandal that shames us as a country. For too long those who benefit from social care and those who provide it have waited patiently in the queue for our turn, but that turn never comes.
“We must switch resources from the NHS into social care to pay staff properly and fill the 131,000 staff vacancies to give care to those who can’t access it and to free up hospital beds. This would eventually save the NHS money.”
Mr Padgham says social care providers are eager to discuss solutions with the Government, adding: “We know government alone cannot solve all the issues. The social care sector has a wealth of knowledge, experience and practical solutions to put at the government’s disposal and stands ready to offer support.”
