Jane's insights exploring the additional social care funding

The additional £1.5bn funding for social care, announced in the Spending Review, is a welcome and urgently-needed lifeline as the sector battles significant funding pressures and workforce challenges in the midst of an ageing population.

We welcome the commitment to tackling this important domestic issue which had been deprioritised in the wake of political turbulence and Brexit negotiations. But we need more details about when this money will be available, whether it will reach the providers who deliver these crucial services and the timeframe for subsequent funding to urgently address this crisis.

Since the social care green paper was first promised, more than 50,000 older people have died waiting for reform. The failings of successive governments over several years means hundreds of thousands have suffered this fate.

Government must now deliver on the Prime Minister’s “clear plan” for reform, promised in his inaugural speech. Anchor Hanover’s research shows an alarming 68% of people do not trust government to deliver social care reform. To restore public trust, we need sustainable long-term solutions – social care cannot survive on emergency cash injections.

We support plans for a cross-party approach to reform social care, but this must be delivered as a matter of urgency. Action now can secure a positive future for today’s and tomorrow’s older people.

Jane Ashcroft, CBE
Chief Executive of Anchor Hanover