VODG, alongside our members, and with wider support from our partners, call on government to ensure that disabled people and their support services are not being left behind during these uncertain times.
We believe in social care services that harness the hopes, aspirations and needs of disabled adults and young people to live independent and fulfilling lives. The provision of essential care to disabled people in ways that promote independence, choice and control, as well as supporting their carers, is a statutory obligation.
Social care also has a vital role in preventing escalating needs and costs falling on other services. Voluntary providers of social care predominantly serve people who rely on the state to pay for their care. The current focus on ‘fixing’ social care based on how much personal income is used to pay for care is irrelevant for disabled people with lifelong impairments.
VODG, its members and partners have two simple asks for Government
Align social care pay to NHS pay bands and fund local authorities accordingly. This would mean first line care staff are tied to NHS band 3 and would therefore be paid £10.40 per hour.
Address the inflationary pressures experienced by the sector with an additional one-off grant offering emergency support for disability and care services. This would be in addition to the £500m made available to support older people’s discharge from hospital.
Government cannot stand still. The situation is urgent and unfolding situation, and must rank as a top priority for the Government, alongside a further commitment to support from Spring 2023.