Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding of (a) adult and (b) children's social care; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes in the level of funding on those sectors.

The Department of Health and Social Care carries out regular exercises to assess the financial pressures facing adult social care. These assessments account for a wide range of pressures, such as inflation, National Living Wage increases and demographic changes. The Department of Health and Social Care continuously works closely with local authorities and the adult social care sector to understand what the impact of cost and demand pressures will be on service delivery.

The Department of Health and Social Care’s assessment of financial pressures is shared with HM Treasury and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and used to inform decisions on the overall funding available to local government. Since the Spending Review the Government has made available up to £8.1 billion in additional funding over two years to support adult social care and discharge, including an additional £570 million announced in July 2023. This will put the adult social care system on a stronger financial footing and improve the quality of and access to care.

As the Department for Education is responsible for children’s social care, the Department of Health and Social Care has made no assessment of its funding adequacy.