Adult social care providers have urged the Government to work with them to put the sector on a sustainable footing in the face of unfunded rising costs and deepening workforce challenges.
The call comes as a report by Care England revealed that a third of adult social care providers, including half of smaller organisations, have considered exiting the market in the past 12 months.
The Sector Pulse Check report commissioned by national learning disability charity Hft and Care England, representing independent providers of adult social care, highlights the challenges facing the sector following the pandemic.
These include the cost of living crisis and what the report describes as ‘decades of under-investment by central Government.’
Based on a survey of care providers in England, it says cost pressures and increasing, unfunded workforce pay resulted in 82% of providers being in deficit or facing a decrease in their surplus last year.
Financial and workforce pressures have also seen 42% of providers forced to close parts of their organisation or hand back care contracts to local authorities.
Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said: ‘This landmark report must be the last which reaffirms the current reality and it is incumbent upon Government to respond if the sector is to continue to provide quality care and support.
‘There is an opportunity to lay the foundation for meaningful reform, within the current funding envelope, and it is one that should be grasped with both hands.’
