The government’s plans to reform the social care system, which are unlikely to be delivered until 2028, have been called a “ticking time bomb” for Oxfordshire’s elderly population.
Baroness Louise Casey will chair an independent commission in adult social care to build cross-party consensus with a view to creating a National Care Service.
The report is set to begin in April, but proposals for long-term adult health and social care funding will not be published until 2028.
While the government is rolling out immediate measures to support people in need of care, including a £86 million boost to the Disabled Facilities Grant, they have been criticised for not acting with enough urgency.
Paul Ringer, the CEO of Age UK Oxfordshire, said: “Far-reaching reform and refinancing of social care is long overdue, so the announcement is good news.
“However, the ultimate question is whether the government will act decisively on Baroness Casey’s conclusions.
“The most sensitive issue of how to fund the social care needs of our rapidly ageing population, which is more pronounced in Oxfordshire than other parts of the country.
“That is not set to be addressed until the second phase of the commission and is, therefore, a major concern, partly because today’s older people do not have time on their side, but also because of the inevitable other changes and challenges the world will see in terms of our politics and economy, which might distract us from this ticking time-bomb.
“Even if all goes well the reality is that it will be the early 2030s before older people and their families get substantial benefit from a transformed approach to social care.”
Tim Bearder, cabinet member for adult social care at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Wes Streeting has had well over a decade in opposition to think about the Social Care problem and now has one of the biggest mandates since the war to enable him to act.
“This plan to have a plan lacks the urgency needed to tackle the immediate social care crisis left by the Conservatives, including the chronic shortage of trained care workers.
“I have long been campaigning for a cross-party commission on care, so of course, I stand ready and eager to bring Oxfordshire’s ideas to this commission and to make sure the voices of family carers are heard throughout the process.
“The Government must now convince people they are genuinely ready to listen.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “In the first six months of this government, work has already begun on stabilising the care sector, investing in prevention, and in carers and care workers.
“The investment and reforms we’re announcing today will help to modernise social care, get it working more closely with the NHS, and help deliver our plan for change.”
A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care said that the social care grant that councils receive would be increased by £680 million.
Local councils have a legal duty to provide children’s and adult’s social care services, and they make up more than half of the county council’s budget.
A national survey by the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework found that 68.5 per cent of 325 respondents in Oxfordshire said they were satisfied with the social are they received.
Additional reporting and context by Ay Adeduro
The government recently announced on 03 January that it is setting up an independent commission to recommend long-term reform to adult social care in England. Led by Baroness Casey, the commission will report to the government in 2028 on how it can achieve its manifesto commitment of creating a National Care Service.
Commencing in April 2025, the commission will be in two phases; the first, reporting in 2026, will identify and set out the key issues facing the sector and recommendations for medium-term reform. The second phase, reporting in 2028, will recommend long-term reforms.
Alongside the announcement, the Department of Health and Social Care has pledged a series of other changes to adult social care, including:
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting is expected to confirm an increase in the 2024-25 budget for the disabled facilities grant (DFG) by £86 million, to £711 million, to fund more home adaptations for disabled and older people to enable them to remain independent for longer.
Alongside the funding, the government’s immediate action to support adult social care also includes:
- Creating national standards and guidance on the use of technology in social care, to enable people needing care, families and providers to choose the most effective and safe tools.
- Upskilling carers to carry out more health tasks, such as blood pressure checks, to reduce the need for people to travel to NHS settings.
- Developing a shared digital platform for health and social care to enable staff to share information in a timely fashion, like when someone last took their medication.
- Reforming the Better Care Fund – which pools a portion of NHS and local authority budgets – to focus it on tackling emergency admissions, delayed discharges and admissions to long-term residential care.
The commission, reporting to the Prime Minister, will work with people drawing on care and support, families, staff, politicians and the public, private and third sector to make clear recommendations for how to rebuild the adult social care system to meet the current and future needs of the population.
Oxfordshire care industry leaders have expressed their concerns about the lengthy timescale for reporting and the urgent need to address social care issues immediately, in response to the announcement.
