15 April 2011
The adult social care system needs to be better funded if it is to cope with increasing demands and reduce unmet needs, an expert commission has been told.
The Commission on Funding of Care and Support has published a summary of the responses it received to its call for evidence last December. It received more than 250 submissions from respondents including local government, the third sector, independent care providers, the financial services sector and academics.
Most of the responses called for more resources for care, according to an analysis of the submissions, published on the commission’s website. There was also considerable support for a partnership funding model, where both the state and the individual make a contribution to the costs of care and support.
Many respondents called for better integration between health and social care, especially for people nearing the end of their life and for those with complex needs. The housing and benefits systems should also work more effectively with the social care system.
The commission chair, the economist Andrew Dilnot, said: ‘The input and insights of these individuals and organisations is critical to our work to find a fair and sustainable solution on how we fund care and support.
‘What has shone through is that there is a real enthusiasm to engage with this subject and I am encouraged by the number of responses we received. It is these experiences and the need for change that spur the commission on.’
The commission was set up last July and is charged with making recommendations on how to achieve an affordable and sustainable funding system for adult care. Its report is due to be published at the end of July.
