This week’s
Autumn Statement from the Chancellor seems to finally put paid to any pretence
of ‘compassionate conservatism’ as, subtly he put social care under increasing economic
pressure and impacted on the lives of the millions who need social care services
to help them in their everyday lives.
There were
multiple blows to social care, none of which actually identified it but the
implications are there and the vulnerable in society will suffer from the
impact.
Firstly
there was central Government spending. George Osborne announced that all
Westminster departments will need to cut spending further. There were only a
few exceptions, his own department HMRC, education and the NHS. There is an
important distinction here, as the NHS is not the whole of the Department of
Health and the social care side of the DH looks like it will have to reduce
spending in line with the cuts made across other departments meaning less money
to essential front line services.
On top of
this local authority spending will have to be cut further. Back in October the
President of the Association of Directors of Adult Services warned the care
services were on the edge (see
here) and the prospect of extra cuts can only mean those vital services may
tip over the edge as less and less people either fall out of eligibility criteria
or services become so time orientated that any form of personalised care goes
out the window.
Yet the
cuts to local authority spending will have a secondary impact. Under the health
reforms the responsibility for public health functions was transferred to local
authorities including things such as health protection, public health
initiatives to tackle social inclusion, initiatives to reduce seasonal
mortality rates, public mental health services and many more which have a
direct impact on the lives of those who need social care services.
The real
irony is that investment in social care and public health could actually be
more beneficial to the NHS budget than simply ring-fencing that alone. It is
well documented that prevention services mean less need for hospital admissions
etc, people prefer to remain at home during illness and home care with
preventative public health services can increase the likelihood of that.
So the
Autumn Statement proposals are not just punitive punishment on those who need
social care services but they are also false economics.
The other
aspect of social care overlooked by the Government is the fact that not all
people who need social care services are over the age of 65. Many people with
learning disabilities receive ordinary benefits which have now been capped
meaning an increasing number will fall further into poverty. The Foundation for
People with Learning Disabilities stated that only 7% of people with learning
disabilities are in employment yet 65% want a job. It is unfair to label these
people as shirkers when it is the Government’s failure to create an economic
climate that creates full-time jobs.
In
addition to all of this we have the lack of action on social care funding in
general, it has been nearly 18 months since the Dilnot Commission submitted its
final report yet still nothing has happened, the urgency with which the
Government launched the commission has totally and utterly turned into a
lethargy of inaction.
There are
millions of people with social care striving
to make life as bearable as possible yet the shirkers in Westminster seem to determined to make that as hard as
possible.
