Autumn Statement lacks strategy and vision for adult social care committee tells Chancellor

• Letter from Chair of the Adult Social Care Committee to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
• Adult Social Care Committee

The letter, which comes in the week before the committee publishes its report, A “gloriously ordinary life”: Spotlight on adult social care, also expresses disappointment that the Autumn Statement made no reference to unpaid carers and asks what targeted support has been made available for those who provide ‘the backbone of our health and social care systems.’

Chair' comments

Chair of the Committee, Baroness Andrews said:

“Whilst we welcome the additional £4.7 billion that has been unlocked for social care in the next three years, this falls short of what was recommended to our committee by Mr Hunt himself only a few months ago, when he pointed to the estimate produced by the Health and Social Care Committee, which he Chaired at the time, and indicated the need to provide an additional £7 billion in funding for adult social care in 2023/24.

Moreover,  freezing one area of adult social care policy,  much needed and long promised,  to pay for other aspects of the service which are underfunded and understaffed,  is not the coherent, realistic long term national plan for adult social care which is so urgently needed.”

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committee
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees