Spring Forecast: What does it mean for health and social care?

Could no news be good news? We will have to wait for the spending review.

Support for health and social care was sadly omitted from the Chancellor’s Spring forecast, with no additional funding announced to cover the increasing costs that the sector is facing.

Although the need for more funding for the social care sector has been acknowledged by the Health Secretary in the past week, and the dismantling of NHS England will bring efficiencies, no funding plan was provided. We will have to wait to see what is presented at the spending review a little later this year.

We hope that additional funding will be allocated to these vital services to support providers in meeting demand for services at a time of rising costs and the planned hike in employer National Insurance Contributions. A funding package is urgently needed to stop the exodus that has seen an unprecedented number of providers exiting the sector.

A recent survey carried out by Anthony Collins at the Learning Disability England conference in March, where the firm surveyed those supported with care, showed that 80% felt more funding and a better understanding of costs were needed to ensure care providers are fairly rewarded for the services they provide. An increase in funding would help to protect the future care provision for vulnerable people and ensure that financial pressures don’t impact the quality of care or access to care services.

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