NCF responds to ADASS Spring Survey

NCF CEO Vic Rayner said: “The ADASS Spring Survey shines a light on the gaps in the delivery of a holistic care and support system that meets the obligations of the Care Act, with the results showing a worsening picture, as prevention continues to be squeezed amounting to less than six per cent of overall commissioned spend. This should ring alarm bells for a government committed to putting prevention back on the map through the development of a Neighbourhood Health Service. High quality, responsive, community-based preventative services are the backbone of communities, and not-for-profit providers of care and support sit at the heart of it. Putting more money into prevention is vital for the future, and we are committed to working with ADASS and the government to regrow community based preventative services that support people to meet the outcomes that are important to them.

“Without this focus on prevention, ADASS and many others will continue to report on the recognised trend of growing complexity of need for those living within their own home, as well for those in other care settings. The impact of that changing need is being felt in the workforce, with the survey confirming that adult social care is increasingly absorbing responsibilities previously delivered by health partners in the NHS – without the associated funding, training or strategic co-ordination.

“Both of these findings make it even more pressing for social care and support providers to be key strategic partners in the development and delivery of Neighbourhood Health Services, both to embed preventative approaches and to improve the commissioning of joined up health and care services, focussed on the people being supported.

“In the face of such pressures, it is valuable to understand the increasing focus DASSs are placing on technology as part of their commissioning portfolio. Eighty-nine per cent of respondents listed both additional funding and resources to invest in preventative technology and development of digital skills for care staff and those who draw on care and support (50 per cent) as measures that would help provide better care through the use of technology.

“We agree on the vital role of technology, which is why at NCF we are working with our members in the Liverpool City Region and the University of Liverpool on a groundbreaking partnership. This unique project puts them at the forefront of the design, testing, evaluation and implementation of CareTech and the digital skills needed across their workforce and the people they support to maximise the benefits of technology in care. This collaboration is essential as the use of technology has to be explored in partnership with people who both deliver and draw on care and support.”