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This is a statement from Paul Najsarek, Solace Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing and Chief Executive of the London Borough of Ealing, in response to the ADASS Budget Survey 2017:

It’s clear from the survey that though the additional injections of funding have been welcome, this has only temporarily held the system back from tipping over the cliff edge it now faces. This can only be tackled by a clear, cross-party, long term vision for the future, based on genuine public engagement; but in the short term the sector needs an additional funding boost straight away, and clarity on the future of the Better Care Fund and other funding mechanisms if it is to stay afloat.

As a sector, we are fully committed to reform and integration with health but this won’t solve the underlying financial problem.

We also need to be clear that this isn’t just an issue about older people, but increasingly about adults with long term conditions and disabilities, and the system needs to be equipped for the demographics of the future, not the past.