Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Twenty-Second Report - Reforming adult social care in England
Public Accounts Committee
HC 427
Published 20 March 2024
Recommendations
15
Deferred
Fragmented, uncertain short-term funding stifles long-term planning and investment in adult social care.
Recommendation
We have reported before on the prevalence of short-term, one-off funding for local authorities and recommended that government explore ways to provide greater confidence over long-term funding.31 With regard to adult social care, this lack of financial certainty has constrained …
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Government Response Summary
The government states the recommendation is implemented, explaining they are learning from reforms and monitoring funding impact to inform future spending review preparations. They commit to working with HM Treasury and DLUHC to ensure the next spending review delivers a sustainable funding package for Adult Social Care, while seeking to provide as much certainty as possible.
HM Treasury
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16
Deferred
Delayed local government finance settlement omits minimum wage provisions for councils.
Recommendation
We asked about the local government finance settlement for 2024–25, noting that the longer the settlement is delayed, the more difficult it is for local authorities to prepare their budgets. DLUHC told us that in 2022 it had set out …
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Government Response Summary
The government states the recommendation is implemented, affirming its commitment to providing as much certainty as possible for local authorities through future spending reviews. They are learning from current reforms and monitoring funding to inform preparations for the next spending review, aiming to deliver a sustainable funding package for Adult Social Care.
HM Treasury
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25
Deferred
Department lacks long-term funded plan and milestones for its social care vision
Recommendation
The NAO reported that the 2021 white paper set a 10-year ‘vision’ for transforming adult social care, but that the Department had no long-term funded plan for achieving it and no milestones beyond the end of the current Spending Review period, March
Government Response Summary
The government states the recommendation is implemented, highlighting progress towards the 10-year vision and learning from reforms to inform future plans. They commit to working with HM Treasury and DLUHC to ensure the next spending review delivers a sustainable long-term funding package for Adult Social Care.
HM Treasury
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Conclusions (1)
17
Conclusion
Deferred
We challenged the Department on whether we were ever going to see a multi-year funding settlement for local government and if the extra money for adult social care in 2023–24 and 2024–25 would continue into future years. Both the Department and DLUHC acknowledged the benefits of multi-year funding but also …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and recognizes the value of multi-year funding, noting the 2021 Spending Review provided three years of funding. However, it defers the decision on future multi-year settlements for adult social care, committing to work with relevant departments to ensure the next spending review delivers a sustainable funding package.