Debate on human rights for older people, and their comprehensive care, House of Lords, Thursday 16 November 2017

"The extra money for social care announced in the Spring Budget 2017 was a step in the right direction. However, it is only one-off funding which reduces each year and stops at the end of 2019/20. It is not a long-term solution."

View allAdult social care articles

Key messages

  • Adult social care must be treated as a national priority. It is a vital public service that supports working age disabled adults and older people with often high levels of need. It also promotes the wider wellbeing and independence of many of our residents.
  • The consequences of long term underfunding means an ever more fragile provider market, growing unmet and under-met need, further strain on informal carers, less investment in prevention, continued pressure on an already overstretched care workforce, and a decreased ability of social care to help mitigate demand pressures on the NHS. This is having a significant impact on many of those supported by adult social care and support services.
  • The extra money for social care announced in the Spring Budget 2017 was a step in the right direction. However, it is only one-off funding which reduces each year and stops at the end of 2019/20. It is not a long-term solution. Even with this injection of funds adult social care faces a funding gap of £2.3 billion by 2020, including £1.3 billion to sustain the provider market which is an immediate and annually recurring need.

Read the full briefing

Debate on human rights for older people, and their comprehensive care, House of Lords, Thursday 16 November  2017