Care England has challenged recent assertions that a lack of capacity in social care is driving NHS delays.
Much has been made in the media of the current ‘corridor care crisis’ reportedly caused by difficulties finding care homes or community care packages for elderly and vulnerable individuals, exacerbating delays in emergency departments and overcrowding.
However, data from the Capacity Tracker shows that care home occupancy for older persons nationally remains stable at around 85 per cent, with over 43,000 beds currently available for admission.
According to Care England, health and social care commissioners’ failure to engage and work with the sector has been compounded by insufficient government funding.
Professor Martin Green OBE, chief executive of Care England, said: "This is not a capacity issue; it’s a planning, funding, and coordination issue. Care homes across England have been reporting admittable vacancies, yet the system is unable to utilise this capacity effectively. We warned the Department of Health and Social Care about the risks of inadequate winter planning before. These warnings were ignored, leaving hospitals struggling to manage the entirely predictable pressures of winter.
“The absence of winter planning signals a 'business as usual' approach, which is both dismissive and dangerous. It fails to recognise the cascading effects of delayed planning, chronic underfunding, and systemic inefficiencies that leave the NHS struggling to cope.
“Social care is the backbone of the NHS, and its underfunding is crippling the entire system. Without swift and decisive action, the consequences for individuals, who deserve the right care, will be severe.”
