- The Public Accounts Committee says changes to the system have been scaled back
Overdue reforms in elderly care may not bring the changes the sector ‘desperately’ needs, MPs warn today.
The Public Accounts Committee says changes to the system have been scaled back and a new charging scheme has been postponed, while funding for both has been diverted.
At the same time, waiting lists are increasing, town hall budgets are under pressure and the sector is still struggling with 150,000 vacancies.
MPs accuse the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) of failing to provide the leadership needed to tackle the problems, warning that it has failed to set out a path to achieving ambitions that will see more than were established two years ago.
Committee chair Dame Meg Hillier said: “Years of fragmented funding and the lack of a clear roadmap have brought the adult social care sector to its knees.
Overdue reforms in aged care may not bring the changes the sector ‘desperately’ needs, MPs warn today (stock image)
Committee chair Dame Meg Hillier (pictured) said: ‘Years of fragmented funding and the lack of a clear roadmap have brought the adult social care sector to its knees’
‘Waiting lists are mounting, the sector is short of tens of thousands of essential workers and local government finances are under unsustainable pressure.
‘While we welcome the increase in funding, we fear it will do little to address the key challenges facing the sector in the absence of a well-funded multi-year strategy.
“A 10-year vision is all well and good, but this alone is not enough to deliver the fundamental changes this sector so desperately needs.”
The committee says it is ‘highly sceptical’ about the government’s aim to integrate the health service – run by the NHS – with local authorities’ social care system.
It is also ‘not convinced’ the DHSC knows whether it will get value for money from an extra £1.6 billion being spent on getting patients out of hospital beds faster and a £1.1 billion grant to councils.
MPs express concern that the town hall money, intended to boost carers’ wages and reduce waiting times for the elderly, could ‘simply go to providers’ profits’.
A last-minute £500m bailout for councils is welcome but ‘may be too little too late to have a demonstrable impact’.
The report also says the DHSC’s 2021 white paper is ‘woefully inadequate’ in tackling the workforce crisis, while a recent crackdown on healthcare visas raises ‘significant questions’ about reliance on foreign staff.
It concludes: ‘With system reform postponed, system reform scaled back and the Ministry’s progress limited, even in terms of reduced ambition for system reform, we cannot help but be skeptical as to whether the vision is still feasible.’
The Public Accounts Committee says changes to the system have been scaled back and a new charging scheme has been postponed, while funding for both has been diverted (stock image)
The DHSC last night stressed: ‘We are committed to reforming adult social care and have invested a further £8.6 billion over two years to meet the pressures facing the sector, grow the workforce and improve discharge from hospitals.
‘The report rightly recognizes the progress made in encouraging the career development of healthcare workers and training workers to improve retention, including through a new accredited qualification.
‘To take our vision for reform further, we are also investing up to £700 million in a major transformation of the adult social care system, including investing in technology and adapting people’s homes so they can live independently.’