CIH responds to government next steps to support social care

On Tuesday 4 April, the Department of Health and Social Care set out plans to further digitise the social care sector and bolster the workforce.

The update builds on commitments outlined in the People at the Heart of Care white paper, published in December 2021, to support career progression in the sector and make sure those who receive care get it in the right place at the right time. However, some of the original funding promised has not been mentioned, which is of grave concern.

Sarah Davis, senior policy and practice officer for CIH said: "Following the government’s statement on adult social care reform, CIH welcomes the announcement of the long-awaited older persons taskforce included today. This will help local areas identify what more specialist housing is required in the long term to support independent living.

"However, we are disappointed that there is nothing on the previous commitment in the social care reform white paper, People at the Heart of Care, to provide £300 million to integrate housing, health and care strategies locally. This is a missed opportunity to maximise the benefits that housing and housing partners can deliver for people, communities and local health and care services.

"Decent housing which is accessible and adaptable, is a foundation for living well, and specialist housing for older people has been demonstrated to support increased wellbeing and reduce the need for health and care interventions. Having accessible and adapted housing is pivotal to enabling disabled people to live safely and engage in education and employment opportunities – disabled people in unsuitable housing are four times more likely to be unemployed than non-disabled people.

"Enabling local partners across health, care and housing to plan for the current and future needs of all within their communities is critical to supporting independent living and enabling people to engage and continue to live well and connected with their local communities. So the loss of funding to drive that forward is hugely disappointing."