Becoming less eligible? Intellectual disability services in the age of austerity

Rachel Forrester-Jones, Jennifer Beecham, Amy Randall, Rachel Harrison, Melina Malli, Lara Sams, Glynis Murphy

Research output: Other contribution

Abstract

The 'financial crisis' of 2008 caused the UK to make cuts to health and social care. The commissioning of cheaper care, leading to less attractive wages, resulted in lower recruitment and retention of care workers. The influence of Brexit on an already overstretched workforce capacity has resulted in a fragile adult social care market.
The Care Act 2014 attempted to resolve what became known as the ‘postcode lottery’ in relation to access to care by reforming ‘eligibility’, with councils duty-bound to match ‘eligible needs’ to appropriate care so that individuals could remain independent and plan ahead for their future needs. Despite the aims of the Care Act, a new concern is the likelihood that a sizeable proportion of people with ID could fall through the net, suddenly becoming ineligible for care and support.
The aim of this study was to gather empirical data concerning the wellbeing of individuals with ID by asking:
1. HavepeoplewithIDlostsocialcareservicesasa result of austerity measures?
2. WhatservicesdopeoplewithIDuseandwhat are the costs of their support?
3. Whatimpactifanyhasanylossofbenefitsand services had on individuals with IDD?
Original languageEnglish
TypeReport to NIHR-SSCR
Media of outputNIHR Website
PublisherNational Institute for Health Research School for Social Care
Publication statusPublished - 7 Jul 2020

Keywords

  • Intellectual disability
  • Austerity
  • Costs
  • Social Care
  • Wellbeing

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