Lee Trueman, Commercial Director, NDG Artificial Intelligence
After a three year absence the doors finally opened for the Health Plus Care show at London’s Excel, there was certainly a buzz in the air. It was great to be back in the capital and after some amazing events at the tail end of 2021, anticipation was at an all time high! There were a number of highly anticipated talks, but chief amongst them, the release of a new white paper – The 360° social care debate. But what exactly is the white paper and why was it created? Well as with all good stories, the whitepaper has a great origin.
It all started last summer when the House of Lords debated social care provision in the UK and the role of care workers. They highlighted the annual cost of adult social care has increased by £8.5 billion, while funding has increased by just £2.4 billion, meaning councils are facing an astronomical shortfall of £6.1 billion. This needs to be managed through cost savings or diverted from elsewhere. The new 1.25% Health and Social Care Levy on income tax came into effect in April 2022 across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This will become a separate new tax of 1.25% in 2023. Revenue from the levy will provide a welcome cash injection for health and social care bodies. The sector is also facing significant extra costs from the demands created by; Covid-19, cost of living increases, as well as a significant loss of income. Add to that even more staff shortages due to Brexit, initial vaccination mandates and zero-hours contracts – it is apparent the sector has been hit hard.
On the back of this, NDGAI and Golddust Marketing set out to create a 360° debate about the state of the social care sector. The first challenge was to get the right people around the table to ensure that all perspectives were covered.
Several roundtable discussions were held across March 2022 bringing together; care charities, care recruiters, local authorities, social care thought leaders, care workers, service users, home care providers, care home providers, care technology providers and others passionate about social care to discuss the timely issues facing social care from every perspective. The aim was to have a 360° holistic view to clearly and concisely define the problems facing the sector and understand achievable solutions.
This white paper launch will enable people to understand the issues in the sector from all points of view and understand how to support and implement solutions. While it is impossible to deep dive into all the findings of the whitepaper here, when we asked all the attendees, “Do you have any worries about the future of social care?” The results were staggering:
- 25% of care workers said they had worries about the future of social care
- 100% of people receiving care said they had worries about the future of social care
- 83% of other figures in social care said they had worries about the future of social care
This shows just how much real and actionable change is needed in social care.
The launch event took place on the 18th May 2022, day one of the Health Plus Care show with guest panellist speakers:
- Adam Hutchison, CEO – Belmont Healthcare Group
- Adam Purnell, Host of the Caring View – Director of Social Care IHSCM
- Dr Jane Townson, CEO – Homecare Association
- Lee Trueman, Commercial Director – NDG Artificial Intelligence
- Mark Topps, Host of the Caring View – Business Manager Essex Cares
It was a lively, passionate and thought provoking debate addressing the shortcomings facing social care.
“The new health and social care levy forms a crucial part of the government’s ongoing plans for funding health and social care reform. Whilst it is welcomed we must ensure that the lowest paid workers in this country do not feel the burden of paying these extra funds and that government are held accountable for reform coming to fruition to equally help both sectors.” Mark Topps, Regional Business Manager, Essex Cares Limited
“The evolution of the CQC regulations is positive but we must ensure coordination with local authorities and those delivering care, and that the onus is not on the care managers to provide more data when they are already struggling.” Adam Purnell, Director of Social Care, The Institute of Health and Social Care
“Everyone is aware the costs of care are rising in the UK. Taking learnings from other countries, exploring pay regulations, investment opportunities and ensuring effective use of care technology to join up care will help.” Adam Hutchison, Managing Director, Belmont Healthcare Group
What’s next…
NDGAI will be hosting a series of Podcasts with the panellists and other key figures in the social care sector to discuss the findings of the whitepaper.
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Have your say…
Do you want a copy of the 360° social care debate? Do you have something to add, or feel that your voice was not represented? If so, we would love to hear from you – socialcaredebate@golddust.marketing
