Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the conclusions and recommendations of the Age UK report entitled Why call it care when nobody cares?, published in March 2018.

The Age UK report raises important issues about the quality and funding of social care services.

In this spending review the Government has taken steps to give local authorities access to significant amounts of funding exclusively for social care.

We introduced the precept, allowing local authorities to raise additional funding to be dedicated to social care, and at the 2017 Spring Budget provided an additional £2 billion over three years for local authorities to increase access to care; relieve pressure on National Health Service services and support the social care market. We recently announced a further £150 million Adult Social Care Support Grant in 2018/19.

The Government has given councils access to up to £9.4 billion more dedicated funding for social care over three years.

Although 81% of adult social care providers are rated as good or outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (as at March 2018), it is completely unacceptable that standards in some settings fall below those rightly expected by care users and their families.

That is why the Care Act 2014 placed a new duty on councils to offer a meaningful choice of services, so that people have a range of high quality, appropriate care options to choose from and that they get the services that best meet their needs.

Over the last three years, around 65% of service users were extremely or very satisfied with their care and support in England.

An ageing society means that we need to reach a longer-term sustainable settlement for social care. This is why the Government has committed to publishing a green paper by summer 2018 setting out its proposals for the reform of care and support for older people.

In developing the Green Paper, it is right that we take the time needed to debate the many complex issues and listen to the perspectives of experts and care users, building consensus around reforms which can succeed.

Building a sustainable care and support system will require some big decisions. But getting this right promises a better system that everyone can have confidence in, where people understand their responsibilities, can prepare for the future, and know that the care they receive will be to a high standard and help them maintain their independence and well-being.