The debate about social care funding rumbled onto the front pages recently, with the majority of newspaper readers now knowing what most of the sector has known for some time – that the funding system for supporting vulnerable and older people is unsustainable.
The additional £2bn in care funding announced by the Government was deemed to do little to meet the ever-increasing gap between the cost of care and its available resources. And the transformation funding will be subject to debate about who spends it and how – so it again isn't really a national solution to finding new ways of delivering care, so much as another short-term softener.
The accusation that councils are still failing to get value from the provider market was interesting. In that area there are solutions: care calculator systems for example – of which iESE are not the only provider – consistently ensure the best market value on every care package.
STPs were revealed this month as being financially unsustainable. And the earlier introduction of the social care precept was criticised by authorities as offering both a minimal impact and an even more minimal lifespan.
We've seen through the iESE Awards this year – as well as the development of our transformation white paper From surviving to thriving – that there is some really high quality best practice out there. What is really needed is a way to share that practice and support it's development. Ring-fenced transformation funding, not simply more money to plug the budget gap, could be a part of the answer.
At iESE – where our strategy is determined through those owner authorities that comprise our membership – we will be reinvesting our profits primarily into supporting the sharing and development of best practice in social care change. Our practical experience in remodelling services across the UK can make an important contribution to developing leading edge practice. That sort of approach, combined with ring-fenced funding to support the development of new care models, offers the possibility of finding a sustainable solution.
Along with dedicated transformation funding, it could provide part of a solution that delivers sustainable change – rather than plugging budget gaps that will only get bigger.
Dr Andrew Larner is chief executive of the Improvement & Efficiency Social Enterprise (iESE)
Web: iese.org.uk Twitter: @ieseltd
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