Directors of adult social care say there has been an increase in the number of short-term care home placements that become long-term.
In a survey published by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, 85.5 per cent of directors felt this was “an unintended consequence” of NHS policy to speed up discharge from hospitals.
The survey also found significantly more concern among directors about emergency readmission(s) to hospital, and only marginally less unease about the number of avoidable admissions to hospital due to insufficient social, primary, and community services.
Nearly all directors (90 per cent) surveyed said they had concerns about insufficient capacity in the system to deal with winter. A greater number of respondents (94 per cent) said they have little or no confidence that they will be able to deliver their statutory responsibilities for care market sustainability by the end of 2020/21.
Other key findings include:
- More than eight in 10 (82 per cent) directors have no or partial confidence that they can deliver their statutory responsibilities regarding Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)/Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) and 76 per cent for prevention and well-being
- Nearly all directors (93 per cent) say they have concerns or insufficient capacity to deal with the failure of another major care provider.
ADASS president Julie Ogley said: “We cannot keep relying on emergency, one-off short-term funding… vague promises or partial solutions. Whoever forms the next government must prioritise adult social care. They must give certainty about funding, longer-term reform and a long-term plan that puts fairness at the heart of everything.”
