David Oliver: We’re further than ever from solving the social care crisis (BMJ, 19 October 2022)

Summary

In this opinion piece for The BMJ, David Oliver, consultant in geriatrics and acute general medicine, highlights the findings of three recent reports into the growing crisis in social care:

1. Falling short: How far have we come in improving support for unpaid carers in England? (The Nuffield Trust)
2. The state of the adult social care workforce in England 2022 (Skills for Care)
3. The Cost of Caring: Deprivation and Poverty among Residential Care Workers in the UK (The Health Foundation)

The reports evidence a lack of support for unpaid carers, growing vacancies in the sector and a high proportion of the residential care workforce living in poverty and food insecurity. David Oliver highlights that in spite of Government promises, there is still no feasible, future-proof plan to protect social care and its staff.