4th December 2018

Dare to Care.....

DOWNLOAD THE FULL BRIEFING PAPER HERE

Launched today at the Annual Social Care Reception at the House of Commons.

It is important to look at the evidence within this paper which highlights the state of the sector from the provider perspective. This is a true reflection of what the people working at the coalface are feeling and the challenges they face on a daily basis. It is clear that the recruitment crisis is of equal standing as the shortfall in fees and the two combined are creating the instability.

The delivery of social care has been challenged in a number of ways which we cover in this briefing, however, it should be noted that the issues we raise were not unexpected. Sector experts and analysts have been voicing concerns about the impact of ignoring the signs, the primary one being that the demographics have been changing. We have an aging population with complex medical conditions, requiring a more robust and sustainable delivery option, which is absolutely funded.
Sadly to date, the government policy responses to the growing challenges have been reactive and lacking in vision or sustainable substance. This has created a lack of direction at both local and national level leaving providers to tackle the challenges against all the odds whilst ensuring that we are meeting the growing needs of some of the most vulnerable members of our society.

The Green Paper promises much but will it actually deliver anything? Is it not time to start to take action rather than work out strategies? We have wasted three decades on not being able to address what was predicted following numerous reports so I think it’s time to work on the action plan…we can only challenge government to Dare to Care…

• National Care Association calls on Government to bring forward sustainable plans to stabilise the social care sector. They will get their return on investment as the sector continues to innovate and deliver care to a growing population of frail and vulnerable people.
• National Care Association calls for Local Authorities to engage with providers in a meaningful way to recognise the partnership model required to ensure service users are fund-ed based on their assessed care needs.
• National Care Association calls for the regulatory framework to be consistently applied across the country.