Age UK responds to The Chancellor's Spending Review, announcing additional funding for social care

Age UK responds to The Chancellor's Spending Review  - announcing additional funding for social care.  Today, an extra £1bn was promised for adults and children.  The Government also announced it will consult on a 2% precept that will enable councils to access a further £0.5 billion for adult social care.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK and co-Chair of the Care and Support Alliance said: "Although the devil is often in the detail when it comes to Government spending announcements, on the face of it the extra money announced for social care in 2020/21 should help to keep our current care system tottering along for another year. It should also hopefully mean that local authorities will not have to cut back their care spending this autumn, as many had warned was likely.

"However, the care system is in such bad shape that this new money, welcome as it is, will only buy some time for the next 12 months, it will not be sufficient to address the strategic challenges care faces, including sky high turnover among staff.

"For this we will have to wait for the Government's care reform plan which the Chancellor promised we would see 'in due course' today. For many millions of sick and disabled adults, older people in declining health and family carers, and for our many dedicated paid care workers too, this plan cannot come too soon. How useful this money will be will depend on how long the Government takes to act on implementing a new action plan for social care. We will certainly hold this Government to its pledges."