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Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the healthcare sector, responded to the The state of the adult social care sector and workforce – Skills for Care report

“The lingering crisis facing social care is one of the biggest and most neglected challenges of our generation. Today’s report reveals a service that is failing to cope now and faces meltdown in future unless urgent action is taken to deal with the twin challenges of funding and workforce. Social care is the scandal that has not dared speak its name, but we have to expose it now before it deteriorates still further.  

“The government has promised an NHS plan for England but that cannot work without an accompanying social care plan which recognises the independence of the two sectors and tackles both funding and workforce.

“Unless we act now, more social care services will close because they do not have the staff – that means abandoning some of our most vulnerable citizens.

“We need a sustainable funding settlement to improve pay and conditions which will make this a more attractive sector in which to work. The Prime Minister has promised to correct the mistakes of previous governments by putting an end to ‘siloed’ working and to integrate health and social care. A great ambition - but we now need to see it realised.”

View report:  The state of the adult social care sector and workforce – Skills for Care