BASW England’s response to new Health and Social Care Secretary’s plan for patients this winter

The new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Thérèse Coffey MP made the announcement on 22nd September in a Parliamentary statement which set out some of what her Department’s plans are to “to improve care for patients this winter and next”.

As we approach the most difficult winter our health and care services has ever faced, this support will go some way to address the very urgent needs of people in hospital. Despite this, BASW England remains concerned that this will fall well short of addressing the critical long-term issues around ever-increasing demand for social care and the ongoing crisis within the social care workforce where low pay and poor working conditions remain a key issue.

BASW England wants to see a long-term funding solution to address the social care needs of our working age and older adults, as well as a long-awaited plan for the social care workforce.

Improving hospital discharge processes is something BASW England supports. However, we want to see systems, policy and processes that centre the needs of people and their human rights. Social workers play a vital role in hospitals and within discharge processes. In addition to this latest announcement, we want to see appropriate resourcing in terms of staff and the services that are available to ensure individuals receive the right service at the right time that is appropriate to their needs.

We reiterate our concerns that without immediate and long-term investment in community-based provision and therapeutic and reablement support people will be rushed out of hospital and into inappropriate placements with the risk of never returning home.

BASW England will continue to campaign and work with our members for properly funded adult social care services. We await further details on the plans from the Secretary of State and her Department.