Social Care Institute for Excellence responds to Department of Health and Social Care announcement.
15 March 2024
People in adult social care and unpaid carers will benefit from a £20 million boost, as the first funding allocation from the DHSC’s £42.6 million Accelerating Reform Fund. The Fund will support innovative technologies and projects across the country to boost quality and accessibility of adult social care in England.
Kathryn Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the Social Care Institute of Excellence, said:
We’re excited about the opportunities offered by the fund, which is uniquely focused on innovation in social care. Whether digital innovation or new ways to deliver support, local people who draw on care and the millions of amazing unpaid carers delivering care around the clock stand to benefit significantly from the fund.
We know that to change the future of social care, greater collaboration and innovation are urgently needed. It’s great to see the range of projects now emerging from local authorities working in partnership all over the country.
We’re determined to support local leaders to find ways to overcome obstacles to innovation to improve lives.
The first £20 million is being allocated to 149 local authorities, covering all 42 Integrated Care Systems, which deliver adult social care services and will work with a range of partners including the NHS, care providers, voluntary and community groups. There are at least two projects per region, with one of those having a particular focus on unpaid carers.
The Social Care Institute for Excellence is providing hands-on support to local authorities to ensure participating projects benefit from expert insights, and will collect and share valuable learnings from projects across the country. Projects will be evaluated to inform future decisions on embedding models of care in the community and overcome barriers around the lack of evidence on efficacy in the future.