Adult Social Care inquiry launched

The Communities and Local Government (CLG) Committee has launched an inquiry into the financial sustainability of local authority adult social care and the quality of care provided.

The Committee will examine whether the funding available for adult social care is sufficient for local authorities to fulfil their statutory obligations to assess and meet the needs of people requiring care and support. This will include looking at the impact of policies such as the National Living Wage and the two per cent council tax precept.

The inquiry will also explore the role of carers and look at alternative funding models for financing and providing care. It will cover all adult social care provided or commissioned by local authorities and not just the support given to elderly care users.

CLG Committee chair Clive Betts MP said: 

“Adult Social Care provides a lifeline to some of the most vulnerable people in society but is coming under increasing pressure as a result of growing demand and declining local authority budgets. Our inquiry will look at the financial sustainability of this care and support to see what can be done to allow councils to continue to meet their legal obligations for future generations.”

Written evidence can be submitted via the Committee’s website by Friday 19 August 2016 on the following issues:

• the impact of the 2015 Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement, including the two per cent council tax precept, the Better Care Fund, and the National Living Wage, on whether the funding available for social care is sufficient to enable local authorities to fulfil their duties under the Care Act 2014 to assess and meet the needs of people in need of care and support
• the role of carers in providing adult social care, the relationship between local authorities and carers and whether the funding available is sufficient for local authorities to assess and meet their needs
• the effect of local authority adult social care commissioning practices and market oversight functions on their local social care markets innovative approaches to the design and delivery of adult social care, for example use of digital technology, and the progress made by local authorities and health services to deliver integrated health and social care by 2020, and the expected outcomes

The Committee will invite local authorities, care providers and Government ministers to give evidence at public sessions. It will also plans to hear from organisations representing carers and care users.

More information on the Committee’s inquiry, including the written evidence received, can be found on the Communities and Local Government Committee website at:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/communities-and-local-government-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/adult-social-care-16-17/

The Centre for Welfare Reform will be making a full submission to the inquiry based upon the work of its Rethinking Care Group. 

If you would like to contribute to our submission please send examples, data or analysis directly to Simon Duffy by the end of July email: simon@centreforwelfarereform.org