THE care sector has given a mixed reaction to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s March budget.
The Independent Care Group said there was nothing in his speech to tackle the 1.6m people who cannot get the care they need.
Chair Mike Padgham added: “I’ll add an extra ‘E’ to Mr Hunt’s list and that is ‘Excluded’.
“There was nothing in the budget to tackle the rationing of care, help us to recruit the 165,000 staff needed or support those unpaid carers who are giving up so much to help others.
“It was another opportunity missed. With a rare, £30bn fiscal windfall, the Chancellor had an opportunity to give social care the minimum £7bn a year extra he has previously admitted the sector needs.”
The ICG says more money is needed to pay frontline care staff better, so that the sector can tackle the 165,000 staff vacancies in the sector.
“Care and nursing homes and homecare providers are struggling and closing and more and more people are going to end up going without the care they need,” Mike added.
“Government after government, of all political colour, have failed to tackle the crisis in the sector. On social care this Government, like all others before it, has failed to fix the roof while the sun was shining.”
In the past, when he was Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, Jeremy said social care needed at least an extra £7bn a year “just to stand still”.
Mike added: “Mr Hunt seems to have forgotten that pledge and instead left social care to continue to struggle.”
However, Anchor chief executive Sarah Jones said she welcomed The Chancellor’s pledge to encourage more over 50s back to work.
She added: “Our research shows that there is significant interest from older people in wanting to return to paid employment, however 70 per cent of over 65s say they don’t think older people have an equal chance at being hired and 40 per cent say that the workplace isn’t an inclusive place for older people.
“As an Age Friendly Employer, Anchor applauds any policy that supports people to continue to undertake paid work, should they choose to do so, and we encourage government to work with employers to ensure that age friendly practises become the norm.”