This is the third edition of our ‘Care in Crisis’ technical briefing, which aims to set out the key
figures on funding for social care. Since our last edition in 2012, the Care Bill has addressed some
of our concerns about the framework for care and support of older people1
. In addition, the
Government has committed to transferring £3.8 billion from the NHS for joint NHS and local
council decisions about the funding of heath and care services from 2015.
However, as this briefing shows, this funding allocation cannot fix the crisis facing social care. The
improved working that this transfer will support can only mitigate, not solve, the huge reduction in
the availability of services caused by the real-term cuts in spending and the increase in demand
due to changing demographics.
Despite rising demand for social care services, the funding, and subsequent number of people in
receipt of this care, is declining. Without substantial growth in the overall funding envelope the
Government’s aspirations to ‘transform the social care system to focus on prevention and the
needs and goals of people requiring care’ cannot be achieved. Indeed the use of funding is going
in the opposite direction. An increased focus on substantial and critical needs risks leaving no
public funding available for most of those who need ‘a little bit of help’ to remain active and
independent.