Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with local authorities in Essex on pressures on adult social care services and the adequacy of the Better Care Fund support.

While the Department regularly engages with local authorities, including in Essex, there have not been discussions about pressures facing adult social care services specifically. The Better Care Fund (BCF) is a mechanism to support Essex and other areas to manage pressures, strengthen prevention, and deliver more timely and effective discharge from hospital.

For 2025/26, approximately £9 billion is committed through the BCF, which must be pooled to support better integrated health and care. Reducing delayed discharge and improving the timeliness and effectiveness of support in the community remain key priorities of the BCF.

For the initial year of BCF reform, for 2026/27, over £9 billion will again be committed, with no changes to the current funding system. The National Health Service minimum contribution to adult social care has also been uplifted by 4.4% for 2026/27. The new guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-framework-2026-to-2027/better-care-fund-framework-2026-to-2027

The Government will consult on further reforms to the BCF from 2027/28 onwards.