Mark Drakeford announces additional £20m for Welsh social care over next year

Wales Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford has announced the Welsh Government will invest an additional £20m in social care in 2017-18.

The extra funding is on top of the £25m for social care provided to local authorities through the Revenue Support Grant and £10m to help meet workforce cost pressures in the final 2017-18 Budget.

It brings the additional investment for social care to £55m in 2017-18, which is in line with the extra investment made in social care in England.

Announcing the funding, Professor Drakeford (pictured) said: “This announcement demonstrates the importance that we attach to our social care sector.

“Despite the cuts we have seen to our budget, we have continued to prioritise funding for social care and taken specific measures to support the sustainability of the social care sector, including investing £60m through the Intermediate Care Fund to support the integration of health and social care. 

“The extra £20m announced today provides an important boost and brings our total additional investment in social services to £55m in 2017-18.”

Minister for Social Services and Public Health Rebecca Evans added: “The social care sector is of national strategic importance to the Welsh Government. When combined, this £55m of funding shows that once again Wales is leading the way when it comes to ensuring that social care is properly financed and resourced.”