Care Provider Alliance welcomes Lord Darzi’s report and calls for an inclusive approach to fix the system
13 September 2024
Responding to Lord Darzi’s Report, Professor Vic Rayner OBE Chair of the Care Provider Alliance says:
“We welcome Lord Darzi’s report on the state of the National Health Service in England; while he points out ‘social care itself is outside the remit of this Investigation’, he rightly acknowledges: ‘It is impossible to understand what has been happening in the NHS without understanding what has happened to social care’ and says ‘there are some important themes that have emerged for how to repair the NHS, which will need to be considered alongside strategies to improve the nation’s health and reforms to social care.’
“We also welcome the report’s emphasis on the part community services play in providing care, and highlighting the difference in funding models, and access to care and support services; all these need to be addressed to enable people to live the life they want to live, safe and well in their own community, regardless of where they live.
“In June we proposed six essential actions to develop, deliver and sustain a care and support system which enables people to live independent, fulfilling lives and actively contribute to the wider community:
- Work together with people who need care, family carers, care providers and the care workforce to shape care and support for all.
- Plan and sustain investment in high-quality, accessible support now and in the future.
- Recognise, support and reward the care workforce and promote care work as an attractive, valued career.
- Ensure equal access to care and support, especially for marginalised communities.
- Support genuine integration, with care providers as equal partners.
- Invest in digital and data innovations that improve outcomes for people and support the sector to use them safely.
“The Care Provider Alliance continues to call for an inclusive approach to social care reform – one that is focused on the outcomes for all adults with a support need.
“Recent analysis from the Kings Fund shows the cost of providing care has substantially increased over the past 20 years: in 2022/23, the total expenditure on adult social care by local authorities was £28.4 billion, up £2.7 billion compared with 2010/11, and nearly half of that spent is on support for working adults.
“The analysis suggests the rising cost of social care is driven by the increasing demand for services, and the increasing costs of providing those services.
“As well as financial stress, the sector is undergoing other major challenges including workforce recruitment and retention, so it is important we invest now to stabilise the system while we work on longer term reform
“As a sector, we are keen work in partnership with the Government to shape care and support for all – now and in the future.”
Notes to Editors
About the Care Provider Alliance (CPA)
The Care Provider Alliance is a coalition of 10 associations. We advocate for the sector and ensure a coordinated response to the major issues that affect it.
We represent private, voluntary and community sector care providers in England. Some members also represent services in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. The Care Provider Alliance speaks for the whole of the adult social care sector, including care homes; home care services; housing with care; integrated retirement communities; shared lives schemes; services for people with learning disabilities and autism; mental health and community-based support. Members support children, adults of working age and older people. Local authorities, health bodies or private individuals purchase care from providers.
We reach over 95% of all care and support provider organisations, in a sector with 1.6 million employees helping people to live good-quality, independent lives. The scale of our sector’s work is vast, affecting the lives of over 10 million adults at any given time, including people using formal and informal care, care workers, and unpaid carers.
The Care Provider Alliance is an informal body. Members take it in turns to lead the CPA and the Chair changes each year.
For more information on the Care Provider Alliance visit:
https://careprovideralliance.org.uk/about-us
Contact: press@careprovideralliance.org.uk