New research into social care for disabled people recommends further funding for local councils
New research into social care for disabled people shows how transformative social care can be for those receiving it, but it also demonstrates the scale of unmet need, according to a new report by Healthwatch.
The report, entitled ‘Missing millions: Exploring hidden and unmet social care need for disabled people ’, outlines findings and provides recommendations to decision-makers.
Healthwatch says social care support can be transformative for disabled people but as many as 1.5 million working-age disabled people in England may not be getting the care they are eligible for.
The survey set out to learn who’s accessing care, who isn’t, and why. This follows the latest official proposals for social care reform, laid out in a 2021 UK Government whitepaper, which noted in its chapter on access that there is a lack of data and evidence on the extent to which care needs are not being met.
Healthwatch believes that better-quality data, including client-level data, will help to understand more about who accesses care, how, and with what impact to better understand who is not accessing care and better understand how many barriers or choices may be a cause of this.
In its report, Healthwatch aims to address the lack of data. The research is based on an online survey commissioned from research company Savanta, carried out between February and March 2024. A representative sample of 1,504 disabled adults aged 18 to 64 were surveyed.
Key findings of the survey revealed up to 1.5 million disabled adults in England could be eligible for social care or other support but are not receiving it.
Additionally, when people receive social care support, their experiences are very positive, with 78 percent of disabled adults aged 18-64 agreeing that their care helped them live the lives they wanted to. It also found social care helps people stay healthy, do their favourite activities, eat and drink, work and volunteer, and look after themselves and their homes.
The survey found only nine percent of people Healthwatch spoke to disagreed that care helped them live the lives they wanted to. Access to social care remains a challenge, with 28 percent of the participants’ total sample had never accessed care, despite self-identifying as eligible.
Moreover, most people waiting for care assessments received information and support, with 32 percent receiving information regarding how long they could expect to wait for an assessment and information on what to expect. Finally, the survey revealed around 10 percent of people received no support at all while waiting.
Based on this report’s findings, Healthwatch has set out a series of recommendations, which include the UK Government funding local authorities to raise public awareness of social care; improve ways of accessing social care services; and find potentially eligible individuals through proactive outreach and statutory information, advice, and signposting services.
Healthwatch also states that funding should be made available to local councils to boost social care capacity and support councils in addressing existing care assessments and care package backlogs. Funding should be ringfenced for organisations providing independent advice and guidance related to social care.
In response to broader challenges facing social care, the report sets out recommendations for long-term and funded reforms, including a fully funded and long-term reform plan for social care that addresses workforce challenges like retention, recognition, and pay.
It further recommends focus on prevention of care needs and support to help people live as well and as long as possible in the place they call home; more support for unpaid carers, including reform of Carer’s Allowance and improved access to support for themselves and those they care for; and expanded access to Care Act advocates to support everyone accessing a social care needs assessment.
The latest annual survey from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services says people are needing more complex care and support due to illness and disability, but local councils are struggling financially to meet people’s higher-level needs.