The Independent Care Group has warned that social care will have to take some form of action if changes do not come quickly enough to save the sector.
The ICG is angry that repeated warnings over the crisis in the care of older, vulnerable and disabled adults are continuing to go unheeded.
This comes after the Local Government Association called for a 10-year plan for social care to enable the Government's 10-year NHS plan to succeed.
ICG Chair Mike Padgham welcomed the LGA call and urged the Government to agree.
“It is very clear that the Government’s 10-year plan for NHS reform is doomed to fail if it is not matched by similar reform of social care," he said. "You cannot fix the NHS without fixing social care. You cannot move from hospital to community if there is no community there to look after you.
“Here we have a very stark warning from the LGA that councils are having to dip into their reserves in their struggle to keep pace with the rising demand for social care. The LGA is 100% correct in saying that we need a standalone plan for social care with the people who need care at the heart of it.”
Mr Padgham said the sector was sick of being pushed further and further down government priorities and the time was fast approaching when it would have to take action as that was the only way to get its case heard.
“I think providers feel they have been ignored for too long and that they are being backed into a corner. It is sad, but they are looking at what GPs, nurses, doctors and most recently, farmers, have done to protest at their situation.”
The proposed increase in Employer’s National Insurance contributions, along with increases in the National Living and National Minimum wages, are pushing many providers to fear for the future.
Last month, a survey of 1,180 care providers, carried out by the Care Provider Alliance, found that 22% of those who responded were planning to close their business; 73% will have to refuse new referrals from local authorities or the NHS; 57% planned to hand back some contracts and 64% feared having to make staff redundant.
“If those things happen as the survey predicts, more and more people will end up going without the care they need, adding to the 2m who currently can’t access care,” Mr Padgham added.
“We have been waiting more than 30 years for reform to social care, seeing government after government kick the issue down the road time and time again. This Government seems intent on doing the same, avoiding facing up to reforming social care.”
“Central to the Government’s plans for the NHS is moving from hospital to community, but they aren’t going to achieve that unless they get social care fit for purpose – not least so that they can discharge the thousands currently in hospital fit enough to be discharged but without care packages to enable it.”