We would like the government to consider social care as equally important to NHS

We would like the government to support and regard social care: financially, publicly and systematically on an equal par as NHS. We would like parliament to debate how to support social care during COVID-19 and beyond so that it automatically has the same access to operational and financial support.

Practically, there is parity of position between health and social care: Social care employs more people than health, is intrinsically community based and supports a large number of the population. However, there is a significant lack of parity of esteem between the two. The government’s recent early response to the COVID-19 and the March 2020 budget was exemplary of this lack of parity. This includes the pay and rewards of staff, professionalisation, funding, training and political discourse.

We know that social care will be at the frontline of our response to COVID-19 with social care providers looking after many of the most vulnerable in society.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the NHS and social care system have the resources they need.

COVID-19 presents one of the most significant challenges our society has faced. The disease disproportionality affects those who are most vulnerable, and adult social care services are critical to the nation’s response.

We look to local authorities to continue to work with the health sector to ensure people are cared for in the most appropriate setting.

On 19 March, the Government announced that £1.3bn would be made available to the NHS to cover care costs for those being discharged from hospital under new enhanced discharge arrangements. A further £1.6bn has been provided to councils to support the local response to COVID-19, of which we think the majority will need to be spent supporting social care services. This funding is being kept under review. The COVID-19 funding is in addition to the £1.5billion that councils have access to for adults and children’s social care in 2020-21, announced in the last Spending Review.

This includes an additional £1bn of grant funding for adults and children’s social care, and a proposed 2% precept that will enable councils to access a further £500 million for adult social care. This £1.5 billion is on top of maintaining £2.5bn of existing social care grants and will support local authorities to meet rising demand and continue to stabilise the social care system. Future funding for social care will be set out at the next spending review. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning social care services as they are best placed to understand and plan for the care needs of their populations, and to develop and build local market capacity. That is why under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to shape their local markets, and ensure that people have a range of high-quality, sustainable and person-centred care and support options available to them, and that they can access the services that best meet their needs. In terms of the social care workforce, the Department is working closely with its delivery partner Skills for Care (SfC), to deliver structured support as the workforce adapts to the demands Covid-19 will pose to providers of our vital adult social care services. By mobilising SfC at the earliest opportunity we hope this will help assure the sector that DHSC is committed not only to supporting them respond to Covid-19, to recognise the contribution made by employees across this sector and also to continuing its ongoing commitments to helping train, develop and recruit a strong workforce for the future development of the sector.