Yesterday the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, delivered the Autumn Budget in which social care wasn’t addressed. Instead there was a promise of a 4.4 per cent rise to the National Living Wage from April 2018, with it rising from £7.50 an hour to £7.83. Mr Hammond also promised to fund a pay rise for nurses and a boost of £2.8bn for NHS England, up until 2022. £350m of this will be available immediately to help the NHS through the upcoming pressures of winter.
Despite this, there was no mention of social care in the budget, much to the disappointment of professionals in the sector. Vic Raynor, chief executive of The National Care Forum, said:-
“Whilst we welcome the short term injection in health funding, this will not directly address the needs of social care. The Chancellor spoke today of the significant productivity challenge facing the UK economy, yet failed to take the opportunity to invest in a sector that employs over 1.5 million workers.”
Janet Morrison, chief executive of the charity Independent Age, said: –
”With nearly a quarter of the population set to be over the age of 65 by 2030, making Britain ‘fit for the future’ must surely include setting out plans to meet the needs of our ageing population.”
