Long-term funding of adult social care

On 4 August 2022, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Select Committee published the report from its inquiry into long-term funding of adult social care. The NHF submitted evidence to this inquiry.

The inquiry concludes that the adult social care sector is underfunded and lacks a strategic plan. The report contains recommendations for government. Specifically, it makes recommendations around housing and planning, and health, care and housing integration. These include:

• The government should create a separate taskforce for housing for working age disabled adults alongside the taskforce for housing for older people.
• The government should consider introducing statutory requirements for local authorities to produce plans for housing for older and disabled people based on assessments of housing need.
• Integrated health strategies should have proper regard to a person’s housing needs as part of their care provision.
• Discharge to assess funding should be continued.

This briefing covers these recommendations and also cover other recommendations relevant to adult social care including:

• The impact of covid-19.
• Immediate pressures.
• The funding gap.
• The charging reforms.
• Local government finance.
• People at the Heart of Care: the direction of travel for reform.
• Workforce.
• Unpaid carers.