Social care system ‘won’t cope’ this winter without more Government money, Sheffield councillor warns

Councillor George Lindars-Hammond, cabinet member for health and adult social care, said that while Sheffield Council was working with providers the best they could, it still wouldn’t be enough unless new government funding was forthcoming.

And he added that if even one of the care homes in the city closed, it would have a ‘considerable impact’ on elderly and vulnerable residents.

Councillor Lindars-Hammond said according to a Local Government Association report, since 2010 councils have had to bridge a £6 billion funding shortfall just to keep the adult social care system going.

It also estimated that adult social care services faced a £3.5 billion funding gap by 2025 just to maintain existing standards of care, while latest figures show that councils in England receive 1.8 million new requests a year – the equivalent of nearly 5,000 a day.

He said: “This shows just how much pressure local authorities are under to deliver services to budgets that have been squeezed for too long. Whilst we have relatively protected social care, our overall budget has been heavily cut over the last 10 years.

"The government’s recent spending announcement promised extra funding for children’s and adult social care to help address some short-term pressures but it didn’t go far enough. We need a commitment to planned long-term funding to support those who need it most, the vulnerable and the elderly.”

Councillor Lindars-Hammond said that in response to Covid, Sheffield, like many other local authorities, had introduced a range of measures to support social care providers, including increasing fees and making advance payments on a temporary basis.

They had also provided extra funding for ‘additional exceptional costs’, extra staff where needed, funding for infection control and personal protective equipment (PPE), he added.

He said: “To ensure a sustainable future, however, It is imperative that the government provides the necessary additional funding now so that we can protect our most vulnerable citizens and invest in our social care workforce who have done so much during Covid.”

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