We respond to levelling up committee report

Our charity has released the following statement in response to the report published today by the House of Commons cross-party Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee:

“Community Integrated Care is delighted that this cross-party committee has so comprehensively grasped these crucial issues that we as a charity and the sector as a whole have been shouting about for years and which we highlighted in our Unfair to Care report last year.

We wholeheartedly support its assertion that there continues to be a large funding gap in adult social care. This underinvestment, as well as impacting the lives of the people who need support, reverberates throughout the NHS and our communities as a whole. But whilst dedicated social care workers are paid up to 39 per cent less than those doing equivalent roles in the NHS, recruiting and retaining staff in a sector which has over 112,000 vacancies, is a major challenge.

A 10-year strategy for the adult social care workforce which includes a clear roadmap with core milestones, outcomes, and measures of success is a great idea but it is one which should have been implemented at least 10 years ago. The sector cannot wait another decade to see this plan – we need action now.”

Find the full report here: Adult Social Care needs immediate funding injection and long-term plan, says Levelling Up Committee – Committees – UK Parliament