North Yorkshire care home boss renews plea for investment in social care
It's as a new survey suggests enormous pressure on the sector
A push to get people discharged from hospital more quickly is partly contributing to a rise in those needing more complex care in the aftermath, according to a major survey of adult social care directors.
A more-of-the-same approach will not work, a prominent membership organisation for those working in adult social care in England said, warning that investment must shift from a focus on freeing up hospital beds to better funding for social care.
The results of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass) spring survey are said to paint "an unsustainable and worrying picture" and are billed as "essential reading" for new Health Secretary Wes Streeting and care minister Stephen Kinnock.
Responses from 95% of the 153 English councils with social care responsibilities suggested the number of people needing more complex council-funded care, with multiple visits from two or more care workers - known as "double-handed care" - rose by 7.4% in the year to March, to 48,955 people.
Adass said this is reflected in the increased amount of time councils are providing for care, with 750 hours of homecare on average in 2024, up from 697 hours in 2022.
The report stated: "Too often higher numbers of people discharged from hospital result in more people waiting at home for social care, or discharged to care homes that they never leave - many of whom will inevitably deteriorate, leading to higher needs in the longer run or even hospital readmission."
"Be bold...and help people all across this Country"
Mike Padgham is Chair of the county's Independent Care Group: "No one wants to be in hospital for longer than they need be but going into the community only works is if you have got sufficient capacity in the community and that's where we have got a challenge in caring for people in their own homes, but also caring for people in care homes as well."
He is also calling for more investment: "Social care only get a fraction of the budget the NHS does, I know it's politically difficult to say but if we moved a bit of money out of health into social care, funded local authorities correctly then in fact we could build up more capacity in the community and look after those people whose needs are great."
He has this message for the new Government: "Be bold, and enact as you have with other things, you've moved quickly on prisons and immigration, move quickly on social care and help people all across this country."
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "We are determined to tackle head-on the significant challenges social care faces.
"We will undertake a deep-rooted programme of reform to create a National Care Service and make sure everyone gets the care they need."