Social care waiting lists have fallen from a high watermark of half a million thanks short-term funding boosts from government but remain far too high, ADASS has warned.

A new survey shows care waiting lists fell from a high watermark of 542,000 in April 2022 to 430,000 at the end of March 2023.

Beverley Tarka, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, said: “Our findings show that a short-term funding boost from the government and the hard work social care teams have done to rebuild services after the pandemic is making a difference to thousands of people needing support and care, but we’re not out of the woods yet.  Leaders tell us they are paddling hard to keep up against a tide of increasing and complex needs.”

Three quarters of councils said the size of care packages for people being discharged from hospital – the number of hours and numbers of carers they need – had increased. Over half said they’ve seen an increase in the numbers of people needing social care due to delays to hospital admissions or not being admitted at all, Additionally, 81% of directors either strongly agreed or agreed that increased NHS pressures will lead to adult social care taking responsibility for services which previously the NHS would have arranged or delivered.

Over half a million hours of homecare were unable to be delivered across the English regions due to lack of staff. This is equivalent to around £14.7 million worth of care that could have helped people stay independent at home, supporting carers and providing jobs.

Councils spent £19 billion on adult social care in England, employing 1.5 million people – more than the NHS – and contributed £51.5bn to the economy.

Care leaders are calling on the government to commit to invest in support that avoids the need to go to hospital or care home, increase support to carers and improve workforce pay and publish a fully funded, long-term plan to transform social care.

Reaction

UNISON head of social care Gavin Edwards said: “The social care crisis is worsening by the minute. Care workers are overworked, underpaid and struggling to plug the gaps in a sector desperately short of staff. The acute underfunding, complete absence of meaningful reform and the government’s refusal to address workers’ pay has left care in dire straits. 

“Ministers must take responsibility and pledge to deliver a well-funded national care service with nationwide pay scales, and a long-term workforce plan.”

Professor Vic Rayner, chief executive of the NCF, said: “Once again, ADASS’ Spring Survey has highlighted the urgent need for a dedicated, and fully funded workforce plan for adult social care with improved pay, terms and conditions aligned. This year’s report firmly undermines the government’s claim to be investing enough money in adult social care and paints a worrying picture of high levels of unmet need, increasing acuity of that need and the closure and scaling back of services, as well as the handing back of contracts.”

Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said: “The report by ADASS highlights yet again the urgent need to properly fund and reform the adult social care system.

“Adult social care is in a worrying place. To ensure that people can receive the care and support they need to lead the lives they want to, the government must put social care on a sustainable footing with enough funding to back meaningful reform.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are pleased that care waiting lists have reduced, but we know there is more to do – which is why we’ve committed up to £7.5 billion for social care over the next two years to put the system on a stronger financial footing and help local authorities address waiting lists, low fee rates and workforce pressures.

“We are fully committed to our ten-year vision to reform adult social care, and recently published our Next Steps to put People at the Heart of Care plan – setting out how we are spending up to £700 million on adult social care reform over the next two years.”