Standing Up for Social Care: Urgent Call for Action to Secure the Future of Vital Services

On Wednesday, 29th January, crowds of people who support, use, work in and volunteer across social care in West Sussex gathered outside County Hall, Chichester, to raise awareness of the precarious nature of social care across the county. 

The Cabinet met to endorse their budget for 2024/25, which will leave a considerable gap between demand and supply of social care support. Cabinet members discussed pressures and challenges, as well as additional funds received from the government, but are not able to pay providers enough to cover changes to national insurance costs.  
The Cabinet commented their budget will not result in cuts to front-line services or require the county to use the reserves.  

The current crisis is due to the shortfall between what West Sussex County Council (WSCC) intends to offer providers and the increased costs, which will be £millions, to employers due to National Insurance increases from April 2025.  

"Social care impacts 1 in 3 of us. 8,500 people are funded by the County Council for help with every day support.  Without any help for providers to meet the cost of over £600 per year which will apply to most of each of our employees, there will be reduced support in a time of increasing needs," said Sue Livett. "We need to ensure West Sussex County Councillors understand that social care changes lives and must receive the support it deserves." 

"Unfortunately, the National Insurance increases will need many suppliers to cut front-line support and/or raid their already depleted reserves." 

People who use support are asking what will happen to them – social care helps them to live well, improve their health, help people work, have the right housing and live lives that we all take for granted. Social care needs urgent and meaningful investment. 

Challenges Facing the Social Care Sector

Social care providers across Sussex, particularly those supporting individuals with learning disabilities, face mounting financial pressures that threaten the sustainability of essential services. Key challenges include: 

National Insurance Increase

• A 1.2% rise in employer contributions and a reduced threshold to £5,000 have significantly impacted payroll costs in a sector heavily reliant on low-wage, part-time staff. 
  

National Living Wage (NLW) Increase

• A 6.7% rise in the NLW, while beneficial to workers, has placed additional pressure on budgets. 
• Many organisations strive to pay the Real Living Wage, which has increased by 60p per hour, exacerbating financial strain. 
  

Contract and Provider Viability

• Multi-year contracts without annual inflationary adjustments are putting services at risk. 

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These issues have caused staffing costs to rise dramatically, alongside inflationary pressures on utilities and supplies. 

Urgent Fee Uplifts Needed 

The Sussex Learning Disability VCSE CEO Group – which includes the Aldingbourne Trust, Southdown, Guild Care, Active Prospects, Grace Eyre, Amaze, Ferring County Centre , and Speak Out - is urging local authorities to implement a minimum 8% fee uplift for learning disability  services in the 2025/26 financial year to:- 
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• Maintain adequate staffing levels. 
• Attract and retain skilled professionals with competitive wages. 
• Preserve the quality of care and support for individuals with learning disabilities/support needs. 

For more information, contact [email protected].