Committee launches inquiry into cost of inaction on adult social care reform

Recent research by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) estimated that 161,000 hours of homecare could not be delivered between January and March 2024 because of staffing capacity.

In 2023, government figures also showed that there were approximately 250,000 people waiting for a care assessment in England.

“Our social care system is in crisis,” Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, Layla Moran MP, said. “Over the years there have been many reviews and proposals, but successive governments have failed to tackle the problems, because they think reforms cost too much.”

“But this ongoing inaction has a cost. No one is talking about the costs we are all accepting by not reforming the system. A cost to patients and their families, a cost to the NHS, a cost to our local authorities, and a cost to the wider economy and the Treasury.

The provision of social care has been a challenge for successive governments, yet despite multiple reviews, many significant reforms have not been implemented and reform of social care remains a key issue to be addressed.

The first inquiry of the newly-appointed Commons Committee will examine the cost of inaction, investigating the cost to individuals, to the NHS and to local authorities. It will also seek to establish the cost of inaction to the Treasury and the wider economy, for example when people stop or reduce their working hours while they are waiting for the care they need, or become full time unpaid carers.

The Adult Social Care Reform: the cost of inaction inquiry will consider social care for both older adults and working age adults.

“This inquiry will investigate just how much the ongoing inaction on social care reform is costing us all,” Ms Moran continued.

To inform its inquiry, the Committee is now accepting written evidence submissions that respond by 11 December 2024, answering questions including: What NHS and local authority service reforms are not happening as a result of adult social care pressures, and what benefits are patients and the public missing out on?

Evidence is also requested to inform what the cost of inaction is to individuals and how might people’s lives change with action on adult social care reform; and to what extent are the costs of inaction on adult social care reform considered by the Government when evaluating policies, including within the Budget and Spending Reviews?