Commenting on the publication of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services annual survey of their members, Andrew Kaye, Head of Policy at Independent Age, said:
“This survey raises significant concerns over the financial sustainability, but also, even more worryingly, levels of quality in the social care sector. It is disturbing that three quarters of directors of adult social services believe that care providers are facing financial difficulties. But what is really unsettling for older people and their families is the news that more than 2 in 3 social services chiefs now believe quality in care services may be suffering too. The question of how to fund social care was critical in the election campaign, and the concerns expressed in this survey lay bare the scale of the challenge. The government must use the opportunity of the forthcoming social care Green Paper to take a cross-party approach and put in place a sustainable, long-term solution on social care that meets the needs of older people now and in the future.”