Innovative new projects in social care are to benefit from a £42.6 million fund announced today by the Department of Health and Social Care.

The Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF), which includes a commitment to invest up to an additional £25 million to support unpaid carers, will focus on trialling and expanding new approaches to providing care and improving services for unpaid carers and is part of the Department’s Innovation and Improvement Unit.

Minister for care, Helen Whately, said: “I’m delighted to see the sector developing creative ways to move towards our 10-year vision for adult social care, and this funding is intended to help accelerate and grow these innovative approaches more widely.

“Our selfless unpaid carers are often the unsung heroes of the care sector – which is why I’ve asked that they are at the heart of this funding, aimed at supporting locally-tailored projects that boost the quality, accessibility and independence of care.”

The fund will support local authorities to take forward projects relevant to their local needs, working collaboratively with local partners in their Integrated Care System regions, including the NHS, care providers and voluntary and community sector groups.

It will support at least two projects per region, with one of those having a particular focus on unpaid carers. All projects should consider the needs of people who receive care as well as unpaid carers, and ensure they are inclusive of the diverse needs of local populations.

The Social Care Institute for Excellence will be offering hands-on support to local authorities to develop local partnerships and deliver projects. The institute will also collect and share valuable learnings from projects across the country.

Those projects that are funded will be evaluated to inform future decisions on embedding models of care in the community and overcome barriers around the lack of evidence on efficacy in the future.

Local authorities in collaboration with partners in their integrated care system area are invited to submit their expression of interest to DHSC by 12 January 2024.

Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said: “We hope this injection of funding will help provide some much-needed stability to the sector, and encourage systematic innovative thinking which will directly support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care. It is now incumbent on the government to ensure the funds reach the frontline and do not get caught in the webs of bureaucracy.

“Innovation plays a crucial role in the social care sector, better enabling us to weather the storm of an ageing population, workforce challenges and ongoing inflationary pressures. This fund, if utilised to the best of its ability, can help foster an environment of transformation, and ensure the care sector remains fit for the future.”