On 9th June the Communities and Local Government (CLG) Committee announced the launch of an inquiry into the financial sustainability of local authority adult social care and the quality of care provided.
This inquiry will, in essence examine whether local authorities have enough money to meet their statutory duties under the Care Act. It is prompted by demands from non-governmental organisations such as the Centre for Welfare Reform, and by warnings from worried local authority representatives.
The Committee Chair Clive Betts MP explained: “Adult Social Care provides a lifeline to some of the most vulnerable people in society but is coming under increasing pressure as a result of growing demand and declining local authority budgets. Our inquiry will look at the financial sustainability of this care and support to see what can be done to allow councils to continue to meet their legal obligations for future generations.”
Is the funding available for adult social care sufficient?
The Committee will examine whether the funding available for adult social care is sufficient for local authorities to fulfil their statutory obligations to assess and meet the needs of people requiring care and support. This includes looking at the impact of policies such as the National Living Wage and the two per cent council tax precept.
The inquiry will also explore the role of carers and looks at alternative funding models for financing and providing care. It covers all adult social care provided or commissioned by local authorities and not just the support given to elderly care users.
The Committee will invite local authorities, care providers and Government ministers to give evidence at public sessions. It also plans to hear from organisations representing carers and care users.
The Committee is inviting written submissions on the following issues:
- The impact of the 2015 Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement, including the two per cent council tax precept, the Better Care Fund, and the National Living Wage, on whether the funding available for social care is sufficient to enable local authorities to fulfil their duties under the Care Act 2014 to assess and meet the needs of people in need of care and support,
- The role of carers in providing adult social care, the relationship between local authorities and carers and whether the funding available is sufficient for local authorities to assess and meet their needs
- The effect of local authority adult social care commissioning practices and market oversight functions on their local social care markets,
- Innovative approaches to the design and delivery of adult social care, for example use of digital technology, and the progress made by local authorities and health services to deliver integrated health and social care by 2020, and the expected outcomes
The deadline for written submissions is Friday 19 August 2016. (Rescare intends to make its own submission.)
Within the Committee’s section of the Parliament website, you will find
- instructions on how to make a submission
- details of evidence submitted (available in due course)
The Centre for Welfare Reform, which had ‘pushed’ for this inquiry, welcomed it with a statement on its website , which emphasises that the inquiry is into all adult social care (not just that of the elderly), and that it will consider the role of carers in adult social care.