Dr Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) says:
‘The CQC’s latest assessment of the state of social care and health yet again paints a picture of a system under intense and increasing pressure, in many areas failing to meet people’s needs or keep up with increasing demand for support.
‘Third sector providers are doing all they can to reach people and deliver high-quality community services, and millions of people receive exceptional support that has a hugely positive impact on their lives. Yet years of underfunding, lack of national strategy and an unsustainable reliance on international recruitment continue to take their toll and make delivery of social care increasingly difficult.
‘Disabled children and adults, along with their families and carers, deserve a health and social care system they can rely on. But across the country local authorities juggle funding priorities and make decisions that adversely impact people’s quality of life and independence. As places and hours of support are cut, we continue to witness rising levels of unmet need amongst disabled people, and the widening disparities in health inequalities are reflective of the continued erosion of essential prevention services.
‘As a country we must do better. The Labour government is well versed in the challenges facing the NHS and social care, but we await any concrete action to address the current challenges facing the sector. While there is clearly need for a long-term strategy of whole system reform, there are immediate actions that can and must be taken to put social care support on a surer footing. That is why we the Government must make next week’s budget one that does not ignore social care and positively impacts the lives of disabled people of all ages. We need MPs to choose to make a difference and invest in the resources, new commissioning approaches and collaboration with disabled people, that would put care and support back on track.’