Steve Ford, Chief Executive, commenting on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement said:
‘The commitment of an additional £3.3bn of funding for the NHS is a positive recognition by the Chancellor that the health system is desperately in need of a cash injection. But this new money will only help tackle the NHS’ top priorities, rather than help reduce pressures at all levels within an exhausted system.
We know occupational therapists are dealing with significant staff shortages, with over two-thirds of respondents in our recent workforce surveys indicating they are in teams that are not fully staffed. We are glad to see that the Chancellor has reaffirmed his commitment for a workforce plan, to include independently verified projections for staff numbers over the next 15 years. We will continue to campaign with partners for further funding and resources to ensure this workplan is sustainable.
Social Care has once again received a sticking plaster of support. Last year, there was some hope for a plan to support the sector in its recovery from COVID, but the government continues to kick the can down the road on social care reform, putting the most vulnerable people in our communities at risk. Although we do welcome the new discharge fund to help reduce pressures on the NHS, it will do little to alleviate the workforce crisis and backlog for social care.
Finally, it’s positive to see that the government has given schools an injection of financial support. But it is hugely disappointing that there was a lack of recognition or mention of the work of health and care workers in education settings. There was no commitment to expanding therapy support or a plan to help retain support staff. We recently wrote to the Education Secretary and we will continue to make the case for adoption of our recommendations.’