Social care needs extra funding to help it deal with the aftermath of coronavirus and prepare for winter, alongside a long-term funding settlement, according to a new report from the NHS Confederation.
It said any new plan for social care should also include help to develop the workforce.
In a separate letter to the Prime Minister, the NHS Confederation and other members of the Health for Care coalition have said they are concerned about the ability of social care services to cope with the potential impact of a second wave of coronavirus. They called for help to clear the backlog of routine hospital operations that have been postponed because of the pandemic.
Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Social care deserves parity of esteem with the NHS. Every pound invested in council-run services, including social care, helps to relieve pressure on the health service, which, as this report states, is facing a huge backlog of operations.
“We have established our own set of principles (see first 650), with support from a number of prominent organisations across the health and care sector, to help inform and underpin the Government’s thinking on the future of adult social care in this country.
“The Government and other parties need to begin cross-party talks on the future of adult social care, as soon as possible.”