• The Health and Social Care Committee and the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee publish a joint report – Long-term funding of adult social care.
• The joint report argues that the social care green paper must be “a catalyst for achieving a fair, long-term and sustainable funding settlement”.
• The cross-party committees call for a ‘social care premium’ to fund personal care for all.
• It argues that alongside funding “further integration has the potential to improve outcomes” for patients.

• The Health Foundation, Institute for Fiscal Studies, The King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust also publish a new analysis which calls for substantial reform and sustainable funding in the forthcoming social care green paper.
• The analysis warns that pressures on social care are projected to rise at an annual rate of 3.9%, leading to a funding shortfall of £18 billion by 2030/31.
• It also calls for decisive political action and cross-party agreement to deliver a new funding settlement for social care.

The head of policy at NHS Provider, Amber Jabbal said:

“We welcome that two influential select committees and the NHS think tanks are highlighting the importance of social care, working in close partnership with the NHS, to ensure people get the care they need.

“Social care and the NHS are two sides of the same coin, and the failure to adequately fund social care has contributed to additional pressures on the health service.

The failure to adequately fund social care has contributed to additional pressures on the health service.

Amber Jabbal    

“Delayed transfers of care are just one area where we can see how interdependent health and social care is. The select committees are right to recognise that joined up working between health and care has the potential to improve access for patients. Trusts will play a pivotal role in this.

“Along with the recent announcement to increase NHS funding we welcomed the government’s commitment to addressing social care, and we look forward to seeing it make good on that promise.”