Providers of adult social care in England have called for more support to be given to providers who look after individuals with a learning disability and autistic people.

A report by consultants Cordis Bright found that care providers specialising in support for people with learning disabilities or autism might be forced to hand back contracts because of funding pressures. The report warned that the financial settlement reached with local government and the NHS to fund social care is below the rate of cost inflation being experienced by providers.

In 2022/23, the average pay uplifts were running at 8%, local authority fee uplifts at 6% and NHS uplifts at 5%. A 10% uplift for the UK Living Wage was announced from September 2022.

Cordis Bright’s report, which is based on research involving independent social care providers representing 68% of learning disability and autism providers that are part of the CQC Market Oversight programme, found that three quarters expect to lose money or at best break even this year.

In response to these impacts providers have started to hand back contracts and are critically reappraising investing in new services or development.

All CEOs interviewed believed that contract hand back would increase and accelerate over the next 18 months as there is nothing currently proposed by central or local government that would prevent it.

In response to the report, Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said: ‘The report makes for a sobering read and underscores the real pressures facing independent sector providers of care to individuals with a learning disability and autistic people. These providers have been largely overlooked in all Government policy proposals pertaining to sustainable reform, specifically the adult social care charging reforms in England.

‘It is wholly unacceptable as learning disability and autism providers represent around 50% of Local Authority social care spending for half the number of residents in care. With most Local Authorities having put their money into domiciliary care and older person residential care as a result of the Fair Cost of Care exercise, these specialist providers have been left to pick up the pieces and are paying the price. There is no roadmap to secure the financial sustainability of this critical part of the adult social care sector.’