The LGA responds to a Health and Social Care Select Committee report on the cost of inaction on reform of adult social care.
Speaking in response to publication of a new report by the cross-party Health and Social Care Select Committee on the cost of inaction on reform of adult social care, Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA’s Community and Wellbeing Board, said:
“This report is right to call out the cost of inaction on adult and social care reform, and the Government must account for this in its decisions on implementing the Casey Commission recommendations. These costs impact councils, providers, the wider sector and – most important of all - people who draw on adult social care.
“For the Casey Commission to be successful for the long-term and deliver the change people, communities, and councils need it must deliver bold reforms that puts the experiences, needs, and hopes of those who draw on care at its heart. Achieving this requires the Government to fully understand the cost of doing nothing, which the Committee’s report lays bare.
“This intervention comes at a helpful time, just as the Commission gets underway, and we support many of the recommendations it makes, especially around workforce and pay, unpaid carers, overall funding and stability.
“This needs to be accompanied by an acceleration in the pace of change – while it’s right not to rush this – ten years is an incredibly long time to wait for the reform.
“Councils - who design and deliver services alongside multiple local partners – have a key contribution to make here. From understanding adult social care’s role as a foundational aspect of the local economy, to the innovation potential in care with digital and tech, to the day-to-day human face of care, local government is central to the Committee’s recommendations and, through that, the success of the Casey Commission.”