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As providers digest the budget and start to work out how they will address the shortfalls, the Health and Social Care Committee has launched an inquiry into the cost of inaction on social care reform.
The Chair of the commons Committee, Layla Moran MP, said:
“Our social care system is in crisis. 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 Committee is accepting evidence submissions that respond to the following questions by 11 December 2024:
- How much is inaction on adult social care reform costing the NHS and local authorities, and what impact does this have on patients and the public?
- 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?
- What is the cost of inaction to individuals and how might people’s lives change with action on adult social care reform?
- Where in the system is the cost of inaction on adult social care reform being borne the most?
- What contribution does adult social care make to the economy and HM Treasury and how might this change with action on reform?
- 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? How should these costs be assessed and evaluated?
You can read the terms of reference and submit evidence here: https://lnkd.in/eKfYQRE8
The deadline to contribute is 11 December 2024