What is the 360° social care debate? and why was it needed? 

The 360° social care debate is about the right people discussing the challenges for the social care sector from every perspective, to inform holistic solutions.

Last summer, the House of Lords debated social care provision in the UK and the role of care workers. They highlighted that the annual cost of adult social care has increased by £8.5 billion, while funding has increased by just £2.4 billion.

This means that councils are facing an astronomical shortfall of £6.1 billion. This needs to be managed through cost savings or diverted from elsewhere.

The new 1.25% Health and Social Care Levy on income tax came into effect in April 2022 across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). This will become a separate new tax of 1.25% in 2023. Revenue from the levy will provide a welcome cash injection for health and social care bodies.

The sector is also facing significant extra costs from the demands created by COVID-19, cost of living increases, as well as a significant loss of income. Add to that even more staff shortages due to Brexit, initial vaccination mandates, and zero hours contracts. You can see that the sector has been hit hard.

NDGAI and Golddust Marketing brought more than 60 people together from across the social care sector. We discussed the issues from every perspective, giving us a 360° view of the sector. Then we clearly and concisely defined the problems and
explored potential solutions.

Our participants included representatives from:

· Local authorities

· Providers of care homes and home-based care

· Care charities

· Care workers*

· People receiving care (or service users) *

· Suppliers to the sector including recruiters and technology providers

· Social care thought leaders

· …and others passionate about social care.

This white paper will help you to understand the issues in the sector from all points of view and how to support and implement solutions.

[FOOTNOTE] *As pay and care costs are a constant concern for the sector, we paid all of the care workers and people receiving care for their time at £20 per hour.