THE Government has announced a £86 million boost to the Disabled Facilities Grant, allowing 7,800 more disabled and elderly people to make vital home improvements. This, along with other measures like harnessing care technology and improving career pathways for care workers, aims to support the adult social care sector and ease pressure on the NHS.

Cllr Louise Gittins, Chair of the Local Government Association, which represents Councils, said:- "The announcement of an independent review of adult social care marks a potentially important step in addressing the significant challenges facing the sector. New funding for adult social care is positive, we are pleased to see that more people will be supported in their homes through more investment in the Disabled Facilities Grant. For this process to succeed, the review must deliver bold and actionable recommendations, backed by a firm commitment to provide the substantial funding needed to turn those recommendations into reality. The full potential value of this work will only be realised if local Government, people drawing on care and support, and other parts of the sector, are fully involved and engaged. This review provides a vital opportunity to create a system that works for everyone, and we are ready to collaborate with the Government and partners to achieve this goal."

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:- "In the 1st 6 months of this Government, work has already begun on stabilising the care sector, investing in prevention, and in carers and care workers. The investment and reforms we're announcing today will help to modernise social care, get it working more closely with the NHS, and help deliver our Plan for Change. But our ageing society, with costs of care set to double in the next 20 years, demands longer term action. The independent commission will work to build a national consensus around a new National Care Service able to meet the needs of older and disabled people into the 21st century. I have written to opposition parties to invite them to take part in the commission' work, and asked Baroness Louise Casey to build a cross-party consensus, to ensure the national care service survives Governments of different shades, just as our NHS has for the past 76 years. We are appointing 1 of our country's leading public service reformers, and Whitehall's greatest do-er, to finally grasp the nettle on social care reform."

It is expected that thousands more people with disabilities will be supported to remain in their homes thanks to immediate action Government is taking to improve adult social care, support the care workforce and take pressure off the NHS, the Government has announced on:- Friday, 3 January 2024.

The Key Announcements so far are:-

• £86 million boost to Disabled Facilities Grant: Enables more people to live independently at home.
  
  

• Care technology and red tape reduction: To improve care delivery and efficiency.
   

• Enhanced career pathways for care workers: Including:- training for health interventions.
   

• Shared digital platform: To improve information sharing between:- NHS and care staff.

The Commission To develop a National Care Service will be Chaired by:- Baroness Louise Casey. In a recent press release Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock said:- "Millions of older people, disabled people, their families and carers rely upon an effective adult social care system to live their lives to the full, with independence and dignity. An independent commission is an opportunity to start a national conversation, find the solutions and build consensus on a long term plan to fix the system. I am pleased the Prime Minister has asked me to lead this vital work."

The precess will be split over 2 phases, the commission will set out a vision for adult social care, with recommended measures and a roadmap for delivery.

The 2 Phase approach will:-

• Phase 1 (mid-2026):- Identify critical issues and recommend medium term solutions.
  
  

• Phase 2 (2028):- Make long term recommendations for transforming adult social care.

Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock said:- "Previous attempts to reform adult social care have failed due to a destructive combination of party political point-scoring and short-term thinking. Baroness Casey's commission will build cross-party consensus, and will lay the foundations for a National Care Service that's rooted in fairness and equality. It will tackle both the immediate issues and the fundamental challenges that must be addressed if we are to get our adult social care system back on its feet and fit for the future. The Casey Commission is a once in a generation opportunity to transform adult social care, and to ensure that everyone is able to live with the dignity, independence and quality of life that they deserve."

This plan will help to reduce pressures on the NHS. The uplift in the Disabled Facilities Grant will help to ensure that disabled and elderly people live more independently at home for longer.  By improving integrated care, we can keep people out of Hospital when they do not need to be there and make sure that when they do need Hospital care, they are discharged as soon as they are medically fit to leave, with support to recover.

Separately, the Government will shortly publish a new policy framework for the Better Care Fund in 2025/26. The framework has been developed collaboratively between:- the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and local Government and will support local systems to deliver integrated health and social care in a way that supports patients and delivers better outcomes.

The new framework will focus £9 billion of NHS and local Government funding on meeting 2 health priorities; moving care from Hospital to the community and from sickness to prevention. It will cut red tape for the NHS and local authorities, but will also hold local leaders accountable for improving care. They will be expected to make improvements on emergency admissions, delayed discharges, and admissions to long term residential care.

NHS Chief Executive, Amanda Pritchard, said:- "A long term solution for social care is absolutely critical as we build an NHS that is fit for the future through the 10 Year Health Plan, so we really welcome the additional investment to services as well as the independent commission into social care. Social care has a huge impact on the NHS, with thousands of people in Hospitals who are medically fit for discharge the current strain the sector is under has significant consequences for both NHS productivity and performance, so we hope this vital action plan and commitment to create a National Care Service will both help better support people and ease pressure on Hospital wards."

The commission, which is expected to begin in April 2025, will form a key part of the Government's Plan for Change which will turn around health and care services, starting with cutting waiting lists and coupled with reform so they are fit for the future.

The immediate actions to support the social care sector set out today and the work of the commission also comes alongside the Government's work to establish the 1st ever Fair Pay Agreement for care professionals, which we have already introduced legislation for.

Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK said:- "With 4.7 million unpaid carers in England who are the backbone of care within this country, we very much welcome this announcement. Adult social care is desperately in need of reform and a sustainable future. Families are under intense pressure and providing more care than ever before, many going without breaks, putting their own health at risk and having no choice but to give up work to care. Good quality and affordable adult social care is critical to the lives of million of unpaid carers and their families providing care, helping them to juggle work and care, return to work, and protect their health and wellbeing. We look forward to engaging with Baroness Casey and the Independent Commission to ensure carers' voices are heard loud and clear and to set out the cross-Government support that unpaid carers need."

Kathryn Smith, Chief Executive at Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), said:- "With its aim of building cross-party consensus for a future National Care Service, the Casey Commission has the potential to end decades of gridlock and deliver a lasting settlement that will change the lives of people who draw on care and support for the better. We look forward to contributing to the Commission's work, including:- sharing our ideas and good practice examples for improving access to care, adopting new care models and raising quality standards. Harnessing and scaling innovation will be crucial to navigating the current challenges facing social care as well as future-proofing the system for the long term. This includes:- addressing the growing demand for social care and people's evolving care needs, tackling longstanding workforce challenges, and finding a fair and sustainable way of financing social care."

AS we enter 1 of the coldest periods of winter with weather warnings across the area, many pensioners in Southport will be having to make very difficult choices. Age UK have estimated that there are 2.5 million people who needed the Winter Fuel Allowance to pay for their heating. Age UK are now advising those pensioners who needed the Winter Fuel Allowance to pay their energy bills to go into debt rather than risking their health. Mike Prendergast, Conservative Group Leader on Sefton Council and Parliamentary Spokesperson for Southport Conservatives, said:- "Over 20,000 pensioners in Southport have lost the Winter Fuel Allowance because Labour, including:- Southport's Labour MP, voted to scrap it for millions of pensioners. It was a shameful decision that people will not forget. With the coldest part of winter now approaching and temperatures plummeting, thousand of pensioners in Southport will be worried about whether they should turn the heating on and with energy prices having gone up again recently, they will be worried about getting into debt with their energy supplier. The fact is the current situation that many pensioners in Southport now find themselves in has been created by the choices made by the Labour Government. They chose to do this, nobody made them do it, every Labour MP in Sefton voted for this to happen. It was entirely predictable that millions of pensioners across the UK, including:- thousands here in Southport, would be pushed into debt because of this cruel policy. Every Labour Councillor in Southport also voted against measures to help local pensioners, on more than 1 occasion. All of them toeing the party line, supporting a move to scrap Winter Fuel Allowance for over 20,000 pensioners in Southport and around 56,000 in Sefton in total. Labour said that those affected could claim Pension Credit, but many pensioners are very slightly over the threshold to be eligible and many others will have been put off by the long application form and stigma of applying for it in the 1st place. Whilst there has been an uptick in those applying for and receiving Pension Credit, many pensioners who are eligible have not applied. I would still urge those who think they might be eligible for Pension Credit but haven't yet applied, to do so. It's not a perfect system but it's what we have for the time being. Age UK also have a lot of information on their website on keeping warm during the winter months and have a free advice line that can be called on;- 08000556112, open:- 8 am to 7 pm everyday, and I would urge those worried about what to do to take up any available support."