Today the Department for Health and Social Care has published its implementation paper Next Steps to Put People at the Heart of Care, which sets out measures for the adult social care system.

Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said:

“It is so disappointing that 18 months after publishing a social care strategy the Government’s plan involves rolling back its funding commitment to the care workforce by half. This issue lies at the heart of social care and to invest the promised £500m and tackle it properly would make such a difference to the sector. Paid-for care is a vital source of support for families, allowing unpaid carers to work or get a break. This is a massive missed opportunity to improve the lives of so many people.

“We are relieved that the £25 million allocated to improve services supporting unpaid carers is still in the budget. This will be incredibly important for family members to get a break from their caring role and focus on their own mental and physical health. However, the plan for this cannot wait another 18 months – it needs to be delivered quickly so that it achieves its purpose and we can make the investment work for unpaid carers.

“There is so much more to do to ensure unpaid carers and the people they look after are adequately supported. The measures announced today will keep the system afloat for a short while, but in the meantime pressure on the care system piles up, and especially on unpaid carers. We need to see far greater commitment to and investment in our care system for there to be any hope of it being fit for purpose in the future.”