Nine in ten councils ‘not well prepared’ to implement cap on adult social care costs
The County Councils Network (CCN) has called for a delay in the introduction of the cap on adult social care costs, after finding that nine in ten councils are “not well prepared” to implement the changes due to funding uncertainty, demand for services and a “persistent” workforce crisis.
The CCN Analysis report, ‘Adult Social Care Charging Reform’, calculated that due to a combination of inflation and demand, the minimum total cost of the reforms over the nine-year period analysed now stands at £30bn.
The costs of the flagship element – the cap on care and extended means test – has risen 34%, from £13.9bn to £18.6bn, researchers found.
Reforms to how people pay for and arrange adult social care in England are due to come into force in October 2025.
Delayed in November 2022, the reforms include a new cap on care costs, a more generous and extended means-test and a new fair cost of care for providers.
The new cap on care costs will mean there will be a cap of £86k on the amount any individual can spend on their personal care over a lifetime.
However, CCN’s research found that 97% of councils said they were “very concerned” about a shortfall in funding for implementing the reforms.
In addition, eight in ten said they were very concerned about implementing the changes in the current timescales, whilst six in ten said they were very concerned about recruiting the numbers of staff to carry out extra assessments.
CCN said: “Because of these funding, staffing, and timescale concerns, nine in ten of councils said they were not well prepared for the reforms with nine in ten supporting a delay of at least a year or more.”
The survey also revealed that keeping services at a level as they are now and investing in workforce capacity is the “top priority” for councils over the next Parliament.
Almost all (97%) councils said ensuring there is enough funding to deliver the same amount of care services at present was their top priority, followed by workforce recruitment and retention (94%).
The research report concluded by urging the new Labour Government to take the “difficult but necessary” decision to delay the reforms by at least a year or more.
“By doing so, the government can work with the sector to fully reassess the policy in the context of the challenges today, not a decade ago when these reforms were first proposed. Importantly, it can, as we have recommended, provide the necessary time to undertake a fully revised impact assessment”, said the authors.
Cllr Martin Tett, Adult Social Care Spokesperson for the County Councils Network, said: “We are just over 15 months away from the introduction of seismic reforms in adult social care, and the new government must make an urgent decision on their future. Councils have serious concerns over their deliverability: these new estimates show the costs have increased significantly to £30bn over the next decade, while currently the reforms are totally unfunded. The political hiatus before the election also meant preparations have been suspended nationally, while locally councils have been focused on day-to-day services, and still face major shortages in social workers.
“As a result, nine in ten local authorities are not well prepared to implement the reforms in October 2025. To put it bluntly, it will be impossible to implement these reforms next Autumn in the current timescales and with no funding committed to the reforms. Equally, the government cannot take money currently being spent on day-to-day adult social care services for these reforms, with our survey showing it will have devastating consequences for councils and the thousands of people who rely on local authority care.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We know that people are suffering without the care they need, and we are committed to ensuring everyone lives an independent, dignified life.
“We are going to grip the social care crisis, starting with the workforce by delivering a new deal for care workers.
“We will also take steps to create a National Care Service underpinned by national standards, delivering consistency of care across the country.”
Lottie Winson
