NHS Confederation - Government must recognise urgency of putting right a struggling social care system

9 Jul 2019 10:18 AM

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, responded to Carers UK’s State of Caring report 

“This research shows the human consequences that the failure to adequately invest in and reform adult social care in England is having on carers. Many are left to fend for themselves with no support. The intense pressures they and the people they are caring for are facing is unacceptable.

“At the same time we are staring down the barrel of an ageing population, with more people with complex needs who will increasingly rely on informal carers for support. If we don’t support carers then we risk not only harming those individuals but also the people they are providing vital care for.

"We need the Government to recognise the urgency of putting right a struggling system which is failing record numbers of our most vulnerable people and their families. The next Prime Minister must commit to a solution as a priority when he arrives in Downing Street, and that starts with alleviating the most intense pressures in what is likely to be an emergency Budget this autumn. This must then be followed up by a long term settlement and comprehensive reform in the next spending review.”

The NHS Confederation has set up a coalition of 15 national health organisations to make the case for a more sustainable social care system. To find out more about the Health for Care campaign, please visit nhsconfed.org/healthforcare

State of Caring report 2019