Adult Social Care White Paper: People at the Heart of Care - Key Points
Building on the Better Security, Better Care programme, we will continue to broaden our data and cyber security support and drive uptake of the Data Security and Protection toolkit. This white paper sets out minimum cyber security and information governance requirements for all health and care providers.
As part of Care England’s work on social care white paper 'People at the Heart of Care' they have extracted some of the key findings and outlined where more information will be required.
Executive Summary
The Executive Summary outlines the Government’s 10-year vision for social care, revolving around three objectives
People have choice, control, and support to live independent lives.
People can access outstanding quality and tailored care and support.
People find adult social care fair and accessible.
Key funding and investment figures include:
£300 million to integrate housing into local health and care strategies places to connect housing with health and care and drive the stock of new supported housing. This new investment will allow local authorities to deliver the vision set out in this white paper by integrating housing into local health and care strategies, with a focus on boosting the supply of specialist housing and funding improved services for residents.
£150 million of additional funding to drive greater adoption of technology and achieve widespread digitisation and ensure that at least 80% of social care providers have a digitised care record in place that can connect to a shared care record
£500 million so the social care workforce
New practical support service to make minor repairs and changes in peoples’ homes
Up to £25 million to work with the sector to kick start a change in the services provided to support unpaid carers.
£30 million to help local areas innovate around the support and care they provide in new and different ways
£5 million to pilot new ways to help people understand and access the care and support available
£70 million to increase the support offer across adult social care to improve the delivery of care and support services
DHSC will be consulting on the detail of the changes to the upper limit for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) Facilities Grant (DFG)
All proposals shall be backed by the new Health & Care Levy. This white paper also precedes the forthcoming publication of a standalone strategy focused on those living with dementia and their carers.
10-year vision for adult social care
The paper is there to focus on people and outcomes, not just the systems behind them and notes that it has been co-developed with the sector. DHSC state that the starting point of their vision is embedding personalise care, noting its necessity for enhancing life.
Learning Disability
Care England has already noted to DHSC that there is little reference to the LD sector, we have noted the following policies:
DHSC will continue to invest in the Care and Support Specialised Housing (CASSH) Fund, with £70 million per year capital funding available per year between 2022–23 to 2025–26, to incentivise the supply of specialised housing for older people and people with a physical disability, learning disability, autism, or mental ill- health.
DWP will launch Local Supported Employment to identify effective ways local authorities can support autistic people and people with learning difficulties into employment.
DWP will now fund a Local Supported Employment scheme, working with 20 local authorities, expected to begin in 2022. The initiative will support approximately 1,200 participants with a learning disability or autistic people who use local authority social services.
None of the above seem to capture the key asks Care England have been making about LD across our various meetings.
Supporting local authorities to deliver social care reform
The paper recognises the need for a joined-up approach to producing a fair rate for care, however, it fails to note how this shall be achieved. There will be further information on the subject shortly. The document does note that there is an issue of under-payment in parts of the county. There are also unanswered questions about the role of ICSs in market shaping.
Supporting sustainable care markets and tackling variability in market shaping and commissioning
Provide £3.6 billion to reform the social care charging system and enable all local authorities to move towards paying providers a fair rate for care from 2022-2015.
Work closely with the sector to shape the implementation of fair rates for care
Local authorities and providers need to work together to ensure care markets remain sustainable and continuity of care is in place in their local areas.
Local authority market shaping and commissioning is a critical underpinning for delivering DHSC's reform ambitions.
Understand what care and support providers are able to provide, their key drivers and how to incentivise and scale what works. Consider how to develop the diversity of models of support to better engage more marginalised communities.
Consider where there may be opportunities to work with neighbouring authorities to generate efficiencies and better outcomes.
Part of the £70 million of new improvement funding, will invest in market-shaping, commissioning and contract management capability in local authorities.
Strategy for the social care workforce
The strategy has a significant focus on wellbeing, however it does not address the current issues providers face, nor how the Government will support providers in ensuring the 6.6% NMW increase while also paying the NI hike. The Government notes that recognition and reward is needed for the social care workforce.
Wellbeing measures include:
Workplace wellbeing fund to promote local-specific investment.
Mental health services: counselling and peer support. Coaching programme for managers, frontline leaders, and regulated professions.
Further workforce policies include
A Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF), career pathways and linked investment in learning and development to support progression for care workers and registered managers.
Invest in new training routes for people who want to become social workers and improve the overall pre- and post-qualification landscape for social workers.
Exploration of new national and local policies to ensure consistent implementation of the above, as well as higher standards of employment and care provided.