Social care funding gap puts pressure on A&E

A number of healthcare organisations, politicians and health charities are warning that there is a need to tackle the gap in funding for adult social care in order to relieve increasing pressure on the NHS. The Care Quality Commission’s report on the ‘State of healthcare and adult social care’ (2015/16)1 found that there is some evidence of a deterioration in care quality, with some providers struggling to improve their rating beyond ‘requires improvement’. 

The CQC found a great deal of good and outstanding care – particularly in children’s and young people’s services and critical care. However, too much acute care was found to be ‘inadequate’ – particularly in the areas of urgent and emergency services and medical services. It warned that it will be increasingly difficult for NHS Trusts to make improvements to these services unless they are able to work more closely with adequately funded adult social care and primary care providers. 

 The CQC commented that: “The fragility of the adult social care market and the pressure on primary care services are now beginning to impact both on the people who rely on these services and on the performance of secondary care.”