LGA calls for investment in social services after damning CQC report

The Local Government Association (LGA) in the UK has called on the government to invest in social services saying that urgent action is needed to deal with the recruitment and retention crises facing the industry.

A statement by Chairman of the LGA, David Fothergill, said on Friday, October 21 said in response to the Quality Care Commission report released today that: “The current crisis within social care reaches far and wide.

“Social care needs £13 billion of additional funding to address the long and short-term challenges the sector is facing.

He added: “As this important report states there is gridlock in the health and social care system, meaning people are left waiting or are getting stuck in the system and accessing the right health and care services is becoming even more of a struggle. All of this will impact on the ability of people of all ages to stay well, to work and to live the life they want to lead.

“Urgent action is needed as we approach winter to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis, including on staff pay, conditions, skills, training and development. And this then needs to be built on with long term funding plans; a cycle of short-term injections of funding will not deliver the sustained change that is needed.

 “There needs to be an immediate investment to end this gridlock, address the unmet and under-met need and allow all people to access the health and care services they need in a timely way.”

"Care is still not good enough in services for autistic people and people with learning disabilities"

– Ian Trenholm#StateOfCare

— Care Quality Commission (@CareQualityComm) October 21, 2022

According to the Quality Care Commission, the NHS and care in the community services cannot cope saying it is “gridlocked” adding that it “is unable to operate effectively.”

State of Care has found that the health and care system is gridlocked, and unable to operate effectively.#StateOfCarehttps://t.co/EAZRnzdTIO pic.twitter.com/5Cd8jnHacz

— Care Quality Commission (@CareQualityComm) October 21, 2022

The Royal College of Physicians has added their voice to the criticism saying that the situation it is the result of sustained underfunding.

“Usually this would make for stark reading, but unfortunately it is another in a line of reports that show the results of sustained underfunding of both health and social care," says RCP president @DrSarahClarke.

Read her quote in full here: https://t.co/8QM0KPTkz3 https://t.co/tzeDZXHVow

— Royal College of Physicians (@RCPhysicians) October 21, 2022

With the government in crisis, a new leader about to be elected and with a growing black hole in the finances few expect the LGA calls for investment in social services to be heeded. Nor do they expect investment in healthcare to increase either.

Government departments have been asked to make savings and with the current health minister is at odds with the profession, the future is not looking very rosy at all.

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