CQC tell joint inquiry that "risk of adult social care reaching tipping point is still real&quo

CQC have today submitted a report to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee and Health and Social Care Select Committee’s joint inquiry into the long-term funding of adult social care.

The submission provides an overview of their findings and key points are:

• The"tipping point" described in the 2015/16 State of Care report is still very real.

• Resource is required now to stabilise the system, alongside a long-term sustainable funding solution within a reformed system.

• The challenge faced by services has a direct impact on their staff. Staff working in the adult social care sector are under huge pressure. The combination of greater demand and unfilled vacancies means that staff are working ever harder to deliver the quality of care that people have a right to expect. However, there is a limit to their resilience. Any long-term funding solution must recognise this, and provide resource to support the development of a capable and confident workforce.

• Profitability of adult social care provision is falling, leaving many providers with the difficult decision of having to leave the industry. CQC recognises that local authorities would find this difficult to replace..

• Quality is at real risk of depleting as a number of providers previously rated as Good or Outstanding have shown the fragility of the sector by not being able to sustain this.

• 1.2 million people are not receiving the help they need (one in eight older people), this is up 18% since the previous year and is a 48% increase from 2010.

• With demand for social care expected to rise over the next two decades, the fragility of the market is more worrying than ever.