Demand for social care still rising says CQC

Demand for social care services is continuing to rise, according to the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) third annual report.

The report looks at the state of health and adult social care in England and found that the number of new contacts to councils responsible for providing social care rose by 4% in 2010/11 to 2.12m.

The CQC found that of those new contacts, more than half (52%) needed further assessment or ended up with the commissioning of an ongoing service.

It also reported that in some cases, councils have tightened their eligibility criteria as budgets are cut and demand continues to rise.

‘This year’s report provides a valuable picture of people’s experiences of access to care services, the choice and control that they have when using services, and the quality of the care that is provided,’ said CQC chair, Dame Jo Williams.

‘The next few years will see a changing landscape in care, but we are committed to maintaining a relentless focus on compliance with essential standards of safety and quality based on more inspections and providing timely information to the public,’ she added.

‘We will respond quickly to protect people where we find poor care, using our enforcement powers under the new legislation when we need to do so.’