The Queen’s speech: Adult Social Care finally on the Government’s agenda

Lieut-Colonel Dean Pallant, of The Salvation Army, said:

“Adult social care is at crisis point and so we are pleased that it was listed as a Government priority in today’s Queen’s Speech. The Salvation Army believes that to ensure everyone has equal access to care in later life, the Government must properly fund Adult Social Care centrally.

“Currently, local provision is funded by local authorities through local taxes but a recent Salvation Army report showed that many local authorities are unable to raise enough money this way, leading to deep funding inequality across the country. In particular, the report found there is significantly less money to care for older people who live in rural areas across England.

“The Salvation Army has a network of care homes and we top up their running costs. In several areas what the local authority is able to provide does not even cover the staffing costs.

“We hope to see a Government adult social care plan that is properly funded and ensures everyone can grow old in the knowledge that they can access adequate care.”

The Salvation Army’s report Care in Places found:

• There are deep levels of funding inequality across the entire country.

• 42% of English local authorities do not have the spending power to pay for the care of everyone over the age of 65 years old who might need care in their areas.

• There is significantly less money to care for older people who live in rural areas across England.

• While rural areas are the worst hit, the funding disparity does affect urban areas too, especially those that have been hit by years of economic decline.

• The average level of subsidy that The Salvation Army provides across all our care homes is £302.00 per person per week.

• Some areas are able to raise up to five times more revenue than other authorities.