Is anyone else worried about Adult Social Care/Health

[LonginesPrime]

As I understand it, there are parts of the Coronavirus Act 2020 that are not in force yet but which will repeal large sections of the Care Act 2014 which require councils to provide adult social care.

Councils will still have to deal with emergencies and prevent significant harm, but everything else will just be on hold. I know it's not the law yet, but our local council is already doing this because they are so short staffed that they obviously have to prioritise based on risk of harm.

The Children Act isn't being touched as far as I can see, except that councils won't have a duty to support teens receiving social care support when they reach adulthood, like they're required to do now.

Similarly, NHS healthcare is being temporarily 'frozen'. CAMHS is closed except for emergencies, all routine appointments and surgeries have been cancelled/postponed indefinitely. My NHS GP texted this morning to say a clinic referral had been cancelled and that the relevant NHS clinic had suggested I go private if possible.

I understand why this is happening, and I know that the Coronavirus Act won't be in force forever.

But putting aside the virus for a moment, is anyone else concerned about how everyone who relies on regular health and social care is going to cope for possibly two years or longer with no care or support? Especially while we are isolating and family/community support is difficult/impossible. That's a long time to not receive support you typically rely on.

One of the reasons it concerns me personally is because it's hard enough to get our council to follow the law (in terms of education, social care, disability) anyway, and I've always relied on the law to help my DC get the support they need. Without the law, I'm worried about where that leaves them, and everyone else in a similar position.

It's effectively a complete disintegration of the welfare state, whereby the only people who will be able to get health and social care and support will be the ones who can afford to go private, unless it's a dire emergency.

NHS workers are doing an amazing job on Coronavirus and I'm not criticising them or the government for turning their attention to the crisis. They're obviously doing the right thing - I'm just wondering about the impact this will have on the welfare state more generally.

Both healthcare and social care were absolutely dire where I live before CV started. I'm guessing both will be pretty much non-existent for the foreseeable future.

Excellent questions. I'm also worried. This will set us back as a society.

our expectations will have to be adjusted... Like many ppl in the working class, if iv been paying towards the nhs, i expect to get my money's worth when i need it. However right now, i completely hold back on my expectation because we are all in danger of crashing the NHS.

Have you got a link about councils reducing support for care leavers?

On a personal note, my adult son gets 4hrs a week support from an agency via the local council. He cancelled his support 3 weeks ago as he lives at home with us and felt his needs could be met, he wanted to free up his space for the agency to concentrate on those who live alone.

I also work in adult social care, in a residential setting for a private organisation, we obviously usually have a great deal of support from the local authority learning disability team and from the health authority SALT and physio/OT departments. Our staff are going above and beyond, some of them nearly doubling their work hours in order to support our guys as they are in total lockdown in the home which brings its own problems anyway (Netflix and chill doesn't quite cut the mustard here!). We are also really encouraged by the regular phone support we are getting from LA. We have a massive amount of experience and dedication in-house, and our staff are very determined to make this work.

I am most concerned about support for those living alone. Up until fairly recently my 95 yr old aunt was bed bound in her home with 4 sets of carers a day going in, which she was funding herself. Very little social services input. Who knows how she would have fared through this if she were still alive.

My council put a statement on their website assuring residents they would continue to protect the elderly and children. They made no mention of working age disabled or vulnerable adults. They've always been dire in this area, like another poster. Maybe we live in the same area.

The CAHMS thing is a worry for me. It's not a problem at the moment because DS sn't in school. When he is, he gets 21 hours 1 to 1 support. Wondering what they will do about his medical check though. He takes tablets for ADHD and the rule is they have to have their heartrate, blood pressure, height and weight done every 6 months or they stop medication. Have some extra as I don't give it in the holidays or at weekends, but would become a problem after a while

It's very concerning. It took me five years but my son has a disability SW now and both SEN kids are in non state SEN schools so I'm.already seeing them being more on radar than their state educated peers. It was always incredibly unfair and I have done over 6 six sen appeals.

Weirdly I'm not too shocked or stressed yet as it's pretty much normal to expect nothing. I think its pretty normal to get nothing and struggle. Which is a sad state of affairs

@ChilliMayo bless his heart, ppl like him warm up your heart

@plantlife I'm in Milton Keynes

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-bill-what-it-will-do/what-the-coronavirus-bill-will-do#increasing-the-available-health-and-social-care-workforce

Social work, like nursing is going to be taken almost qualified SWs and retired SWs back. There's also amendments around the mental health act and only needing one dr. It all sounds quite sensible and will only be whilst there is this emergency going on.

From my experience in LA SW right now we're all working harder and having lots of late nights with 10hr + working days. I really doubt that LAs are going to cut services as my LA is ramping their service right up.

Yes I'm concerned and thinking of returning to social work to help out. I'm sure many others will too.

Have you got a link about councils reducing support for care leavers?

I wasn't thinking specifically of care-leavers (I'm not sure what legislation their transition to adulthood is covered by, but happy to have a look) but more about transition to adulthood generally - for example, disabled children in need receiving social care support.

The bit I was looking at is para 15 of Schedule 12 of the Coronavirus Act 2020, where it will repeal section 17ZH of the Children Act 1989 which imposes a duty on councils to ensure continuity of care into adulthood for children who will still need it when they turn 18. They won't have to do this when this schedule comes into force, so disabled kids will turn 18 and they'll potentially be on their own unless that leaves them in danger.

I agree with PPs that support can be practically non-existent at the best of times (not through the fault of individual staff, who are all trying their best within a struggling system), but I think the notion of councils not even having a duty under law to help people in need is a bit scary.

I agree we'll have to adjust our expectations and accept that people will need to fend for themselves as we won't have a choice. I just don't know how people will cope with that.

Following, my DF is in care so concerned to hear this 🤦‍♀️

We asked for help a couple of years ago as we were struggling to care for my dad, he had dementia.
Our local services were an absolute joke, I know people say it's not the staff it's the system they are working in, but our SWs were just awful.

We did finally get carers coming in for his last couple of months. The carers were lovely, kind and compassionate. All of the other professionals involved should have been ashamed of themselves.

I'm so relieved that my dad died before this virus appeared. I can't imagine what people are going through now, and will go through, with an underfunded, understaffed, underperforming care system.

I suspect people who are having to cope now, with the help of their families, are going to have even more of a struggle going forward. The system will have a good excuse to deny funded care.

It does seem that some peoples assessed needs won't get met in a timely manner if it's not deemed essential.

From skimming it again it seems it's removing the legalities that would seem a service as failing ect whilst this is going on. This is to do with predicted staff shortages and won't be a long term removal. The council will still have a legal duty of care with regards to serious harm and safe guarding.

*see not seem