CQC Report Paints a Clear Picture of Deepening Social Care Sector Challenges: Care England Responds

Care England, the largest and most diverse representative of adult social care providers in England, has responded to today’s CQC State of Care 2024/25 report, which has clearly demonstrated the direction of travel for the sector as demand for local authority services has risen by 4% over the year in the face of dwindling funding to address other increasing cost pressures on care delivery.

Alongside increasing demand, the report also highlighted that social care services are often hard to access, with long waiting times, and that workforce recruitment and retention continue to be issues, with vacancy levels three times higher than the wider job market, and the number of district nurses per person aged over 65 has dropped 50% since 2011.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, said:

“The report has painted a clear picture of the sector’s ongoing and growing challenges in workforce recruitment, funding pressures, integration with health services and equality of access. This has reached the point where the report has highlighted that care providers are already handing back contracts with local authorities, as rising costs are continuing to far outstrip the funding for care delivery.”

In another part of the report, good examples of the sector and advocates coming together to innovate were showcased, where Care England was praised as part of the Vivaldi Project, which has been measuring the spread of infectious diseases in care home settings.

Professor Martin Green continued:

“It is incredibly heartening to see that this important project has been spotlighted in this report. Now that the Vivaldi project has been sharing its data with the NHS, it is enabling vital research that will help us understand the causes of hospital admissions in care, as one example.

It is a testament that proper government investment in social care, and in projects like Vivaldi, will reduce pressure on the whole health and care system and allow us to provide proper joined-up services; another aspect of the system that the CQC’s report highlights needs improving.”