NAO report looks at how DHSC is delivering reform and progress in adult social care against its commitments
The National Audit Office has released its report , Reforming adult social care in England . It looks at how the Department for Health and Social Care ( DHSC ) is responding to the challenges facing adult social care in England , and its progress with delivering the reforms set out in the 2021 white paper . The report examines :
• Key pressures and challenges in adult social care in England .
• DHSC ’ s response to increasing pressures in adult social care during 2022 .
• How DHSC is delivering reform and progress against its commitments .
A number of conclusions are drawn in the report . It says that ‘ DHSC ’ s 10-year vision for adult social care reform was broadly welcomed by the sector as a step forward . But rising inflation compounded long-standing pressures and led DHSC to reprioritise money and activity to provide local authorities and care providers with some much-needed financial stability ’.
It also states that the sector ‘ remains challenged by chronic workforce shortages , long waiting lists for care and fragile provider and local authority finances . Although there are some early signs of improvement in some of these , it remains to be seen whether these trends will continue and at what cost ’.
The NAO also stated that : ‘ Two years into its 10- year plan , DHSC has delayed its charging reforms , scaled back system reform , and is behind on some aspects of its revised plan . It has a long way to go if it is to deliver its ambitions . If DHSC is to successfully reform adult social care , it will need to manage some significant risks , including its own capacity and that of local government to resume charging reform activity alongside system reform .’
To download key facts , a summary and the full report visit https :// bit . ly / 3R60VOY .
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RCOT calls for the NHS to ‘ rely more on occupational therapists ’
New data from NHS England has shown that waiting lists and emergency care demand have reached record highs ahead of winter .
The new data , published on 9 November , shows that more than 2.2 million people attended accident and emergency departments in the previous month , making it the busiest October on record .
Commenting on the data , RCOT Head of Practice and Workforce , Suhailah Mohamed , said : ‘ This is the result of too many short-term decisions and not enough long-term thinking . The NHS is being damaged and patients are being put at risk by decisions about the funding of healthcare services , a lack of investment in the upskilling of staff post-pandemic , and placing too many staff in crisis and emergency services , rather than community services .
‘ Sadly , these statistics aren ’ t surprising , but better use of the occupational therapy workforce , and other allied health professionals , could provide a solution to the pinch points within our health and care systems .
‘ If people are seen by occupational therapists , we can help prevent admission to hospital and , following admission , can help facilitate early discharge . Our focus on keeping people in their communities and helping them do the occupations they need and want to do means we reduce the burden on inpatient services by assessing people ’ s needs and directing them to the services that could help them .
‘ Occupational therapists are also trained in both physical and mental health , meaning they can work across different health services to help reduce duplication . It allows us to offer holistic interventions at the point of contact with people accessing services . That ’ s why we ’ re screaming out for more occupational therapists , placed where they ’ re needed and can make the biggest difference .’
Read more at https :// bit . ly / 3N7CX4T .
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8 OTnews December 2023