Jeremy Hunt has “offered nothing” in social care and gone from “hero to zero”, according to health chiefs, who said costs will continue to rise for young and old.
Notably, the Autumn Statement said almost nothing about the sector, which continues to lurch from crisis to crisis despite staffing and funding shortages.
While the increase in the National Living Wage (NLW) from April next year has been welcomed, meaning a 10 per cent pay rise for thousands of healthcare workers, healthcare providers will struggle to cope with the increased costs, according to insiders.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “Jeremy Hunt has gone from hero to social care pushover. Last year we cheered him when he ordered a significant increase in funding to prevent a collapse of services, but this year he has offered nothing, despite clear warnings from local authorities about the likelihood of further cuts to health care spending.
“And furthermore, while the minimum wage increase is very welcome and deserved, without additional funding the costs of providing or purchasing social care will rise.”
Almost 500,000 older and disabled people in England are waiting for care, direct payment or an assessment of their care needs. With around 150,000 vacancies in social care, the sector relies heavily on unpaid carers to fill the gap.
“All these numbers are getting worse now,” Ms Abrahams said. Colleagues cheered Boris Johnson when he promised to ‘solve the social crisis’ some four-and-a-half years ago, but today’s announcement was a reminder of how badly the government has failed.
“Transformative welfare reform is still urgently needed, but the prospect is now out of sight, and millions of older and disabled people, and their unpaid carers, are paying a very high price.”
Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, also said that increasing the NLW from £10.42 to £11.44 per hour would have a “definite positive impact on those working in adult social care”, meaning that Health care providers will once again find it difficult to operate with rising staff costs “as municipal funding struggles to keep up.”
He said: “Along with a long-term workforce development plan similar to that of the NHS, investment from central government has never been more important to ensure that social care is a desirable sector to join and remain part of.” growth plan “As the government expects more people to return to work, new opportunities will arise to grow our domestic workforce.”
The head of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children called the announcement a “missed opportunity” to invest in services for young people.
Sir Peter Wanless said: “The persistent lack of funding for children’s social care, prevention services and specialist support for victims of violence belies the Government’s ambitious policy promises to deliver change for children.”
“In particular, the Victims and Prisoners Act and the government’s response to independent investigations into child sexual abuse risk being inadequate without significant investment in improving the child welfare system’s ability to effectively respond to abused children and protect experienced victims.” provide therapeutic support to help child victims recover. »
Mr Hunt promised to reform the fitness protocol process “so that treatment, not leave, becomes the standard”, but gave no details of what would change. He said the government would spend £1.3 million over the next five years to help almost 700,000 people with health problems find work as part of plans to tighten up the welfare system.
Mr Hunt said he would donate £5 million to Imperial College and the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to create the Fleming Center as 2028 marks the 100th anniversary of the invention of penicillin by Alexander Fleming. However, NHS chiefs criticized the lack of major health announcements.
Professor Nicola Ranger, chief nurse at the Royal College of Nursing, said the chancellor’s announcement was “short-sighted and not sustainable for the long term”.
She said: “The NHS faces a billion-pound deficit – the fact that it is committing at least £5 billion in tax breaks instead of health spending confirms that the NHS is no longer a priority for the government.” The sector cuts the Chancellor is calling for will instead lead to even longer waiting times, more patients being treated in corridors and a dangerous situation for the workforce. Our healthcare system urgently needed financial injections, but they were completely forgotten.”
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “A future-ready NHS needs the right numbers of staff, better social care support, more beds and more investment in buildings and equipment to improve productivity and provide patients with first-class care. . care”. To ensure quality. Cool supervision.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.