“The Conservatives are the real party of public services.” This was one of the many bold claims from the dispatch box during this year’s autumn spending review. But in the wake of the now-published adult social care reform white paper, this promise rings increasingly hollow.
Although austerity may for now be over, it is certainly not being undone and crucial services like adult social care have been left in an extremely precarious position. After years of significant underfunding, sector representatives have warned that the promises made in the spending review do little to address the disastrous state of adult social care. To provide a sense of the gap, analysis from the Health Foundation suggests that adult social care in England requires additional funding of around £7.6bn in 2022-23 rising to £9bn in 2024-25. This is needed to meet future demand, tackle unmet need and increase the prices paid for care so that providers can raise quality and wages.
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