This is the Homecare Association's response to the Provisional local government finance settlement 2024-25 consultation.
We replied to Question 5 on the government’s proposals for funding of social care, from the perspective of its potential impact on homecare (care services provided to people living in their own homes).
In summary, we disagreed strongly with the government’s proposals on funding for social care as part of the local government finance settlement in 2024-25. We said the budget allocated was grossly inadequate and risks local authorities being unable to cover the cost of the rise in the National Minimum Wage for the care workforce and increases in other operating costs.
We explained that recruitment and retention of the care workforce is already challenging because of poor pay and terms and conditions of employment, which result from zero-hour commissioning of homecare at low fee rates. Starving councils of the funding they need will exacerbate the workforce problems, particularly as international recruitment is not a viable solution for homecare.
We asked central government to create the conditions for social care services to thrive to meet the needs of our ageing population. In 25 years’ time, one in four of us will be over 65. Failure to invest appropriately in social care risks increasing unmet need, which will lead to greater cost and pressure for the NHS. NHS performance is already well below target on a range of metrics, including waiting times for planned care and ambulance response times. If citizens cannot access health and care services in a timely manner, or at all, it not only has a negative impact on individuals and communities, it will reduce the potential for economic growth.
We called on the government to invest at least £8 billion more per year in homecare and the wider social care sector and provided evidence for our position in our response.
