Responding to The Chancellor's statement today on the Government's spending inheritance, Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) says:
'We welcome the announcement that there will be a three-year spending review, providing a long overdue chance for forward planning and stability for third sector providers and the disabled people reliant on publicly funded support.
'The scrapping of adult social care funding reforms is of little surprise, as they were unfunded and with a focus on older people, ignored millions of disabled people drawing on social care. That said, the pressures of increasing unmet need are not going away, and an urgent solution is vital for state-funded social care and support.
'It is untenable for third sector organisations to continue to absorb unfunded costs from local authorities and the NHS. We need government reform with a significant focus on improving commissioning coupled with an injection of funding to address the growing funding gap. Without this, unmet need will continue to escalate, piling more pressure on the NHS and undermining the government’s growth agenda.'
The full policy paper can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a793cba3c2a28abb50d8a1/E03171937_-_Fixing_the_foundations_-_public_spending_audit_2024-25_-_Final_Web_Accessible.pdf