Adult social care report is ‘a warning shot’

Published: 23 November 2012

The Royal College of Nursing has said a report on adult social care is a warning shot to the government to ensure improvements are made nationally and not just by a few councils.

Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, was responding to the publication of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework 2013-14. The framework contains the results of the first year’s outcomes and also reviews some of the measures for next year.

He said local variation in the figures is an important area for improvement.

Dr Carter said: “We recognise that local councils must have appropriate resources to deliver much needed improvements in social care quality and we call on the Government to deliver a long overdue decision on the reform of the social care system.”

He welcomed the ongoing review of measures to ensure the results are useful and accurate as measuring social care outcomes is difficult to get right.

Dr Carter said: “We’re pleased to see the commitment to improve alignment with the NHS and public health frameworks, and we would also like to see a similar approach taken in the continuing health care eligibility criteria and social care.

“With only one year’s figures to draw on, it is too early to start identifying trends but there is a real risk that the impact of severe cuts to social care budgets has not yet been felt. While currently the outcomes look stable we hope that the Government will address the various areas of concern that have emerged - for example only 64 per cent of users of social care said they felt as safe as they wanted.”

Read more on the Department of Health website.