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The report on the State of Social Care in England, published today by social care watchdog CSCI, highlights inequalities in the level of care and the specific difficulties faced by those not deemed eligible for state-supported social care.  

On the positive side, the report highlights improvements in the range and variety of services for those who do qualify for council-arranged care.  

Offering a service provider's perspective on the CSCI Report, Peter Cullimore, Chair of the REC's Nursing & Social Care Sector Group, says: "It’s extremely worrying that in the 21st century, people still have low expectations about the quality of care they can expect to receive in ill health or old age. 

 “Social care provision in England is very much at a crossroads. On the one hand, improvements in the variety of services available must be welcomed and this conclusion in the CSCI report reflects positively on all organisations - for example, domiciliary care agencies - involved in the daily provision of care services. 

 “On the other hand, the increasing pressure on local authority budgets is not only influencing eligibility procedures but is also impacting on the quality of care that can be provided to those who are publicly funded. What’s more, by limiting care to those with ‘critical’ needs, we’re likely to see a situation where the elderly or infirm have to wait until their situation becomes serious before they are treated, often at a greater expense to the public.” 

Peter Cullimore continues: “The findings from a poll of REC members in the social care sector last year confirmed that current cost-cutting exercises are already having an impact with over 65 per cent reporting a ‘dramatic impact’. The CSCI report mentions the risk of the care sector ''de-professionalising' and the feedback from workers in the front line of social care delivery indicates that the funding squeeze could increase this risk".  

As well as fueling the sensitive debate on eligibility criteria, the CSCI report points to a lack of information about different care options for those who pay for their own care. 

Commenting on this, Peter Cullimore concludes: "Councils are placing a greater emphasis on helping people to remain in their own homes but there needs to be more guidance and signposting for those who are not deemed eligible for funding. This would enable individuals who are naturally gravitating towards residential care to explore possible home care alternatives."