SCIE responds to ADASS Spring Survey 2024

This report throws down the gauntlet for the new government by setting out the scale of the task at hand. The message is clear, the social care system is severely overstretched. The combination of budget constraints and rising care complexity from discharged patients means councils are unable to meet their statutory duties. The result is unmet or under-met social care needs, especially for local people recovering from a hospital stay.

For years, the social care sector’s interdependence and value to the NHS has been underappreciated. Now is the moment for change. The Government has an opportunity to flip the script and invest in social care to save the NHS.

Expanding the social care offer through sustained investment in community rehabilitation, reablement and intermediate care will prevent the need for long-term care as well as unplanned hospital admissions. Greater availability of community prevention and early support services allows the care system both to meet growing demand and to support efforts to reduce NHS waiting lists. Getting this investment right will be transformational to the lives of millions of people.