According to a recent BBC report, adult social care in the United Kingdom is under some pretty heavy pressure.
In fact, the report even goes as far as saying that the, “government has “no idea” how long the system can cope”.
The report continues with:
“The National Audit Office also raised doubts over whether an overhaul of care services, which begins in 2015, will be as successful as ministers hope.
A lack of time and information could leave councils struggling to improve services, the report added.
Ministers say they are giving councils £1.1 billion to protect such services.
The NAO found that while demand for adult social care was increasing, spending by local authorities fell by 8% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2012-13.
Some of this was achieved by delivering care more efficiently, but researchers also found evidence that councils paid providers less, putting financial pressures on some companies who complained of being able to deliver only basic care.”
The findings relating to adult social care providers – such as Stepping Out – being paid less to maintain current services is naturally worrying for all those involved in the care industry.
With 1.5 million UK citizens working within adult care, the results of this reported 8% drop in funding can only spell danger for those workers, and more importantly, the service users they care for.
Furthermore, all forms of government owe a debt to the estimated 5.4 million unpaid, informal carers dedicating their time to adult care. It is certainly not asking too much for those carers to also be recognized and funded appropriately.
What do you think about the state of adult social care? Is the government sidestepping important social issues with its recent drop in funding?
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