“Today’s local government settlement owes a lot more to the Grinch than to Santa Claus since across the political spectrum local government leaders are clear that it simply isn’t enough to keep pace with the rising costs of and demand for adults’ and children’s social care. Unfortunately this suggests that 2024/5 will be another incredibly tough year, with hundreds of thousands of disabled adults and older people set to miss out on the high quality support they need, and with serious knock on consequences for their unpaid carers, who will be left to try to fill the gap. This is deeply unfair on people who give a lot and ask for very little in return, and it will also undermine the national effort to increase economic productivity if growing numbers have to give up work in mid-life because of a lack of formal care services to help their loved ones.

“Nearly half a million older and disabled people in England are waiting for care, a direct payment or for their care needs to be assessed. These figures will now get worse, and behind every one of them there are individual stories of our fellow citizens struggling and often failing to live a good and decent life, since without the care they need older people are unable to do the basics like prepare meals and take their medication, or, in the case of many disabled people, work, train and enjoy the company of friends.

“It’s also the last thing the NHS wanted to hear about the coming year, given the co-dependence between Health and Social Care. Unless and until we give social care the resources it needs the NHS will always have one hand tied behind its back in tackling delayed discharges and long waiting lists.” 

Caroline Abrahams, Care and Support Alliance Co-Chair