Social care in Somerset must stop being seen as “the poor relation to the NHS” if recruitment issues and the cost of care are to be tackled, according to the county council.

The levelling up, housing and communities select committee has published a report calling for a drastic increase in funding for adult social care across the UK to offset inflationary pressures and tackle recruitment issues.

The committee’s report was critical of the level of funding that social care was receiving, arguing that difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff were being worsened by rises in inflation and the national minimum wage.

While the health and social care levy has raised funding, most of the money has been going to the NHS instead of social care – and what has been allocated there is paying for the reforms, not tackling immediate cost pressures.

To remedy this, the committee has recommended additional funding of at least £7bn be allocated to social care immediately to offset inflationary pressures and allow local authorities to plan their care provision more than 12 months in advance.

The committee has also warned that the “increasing reliance” on funding social care through council tax receipts does not strike “the right balance” between local and central government.

Clive Betts MP, who chairs the committee, said: “As Prime Minister, Boris Johnson said he would fix the crisis in social care once and for all. The government deserves credit for attempting reform and for acting to try to prevent the unpredictable and catastrophic costs which can be inflicted upon people for their care.

“However, the government should be under no illusions that it has come close to rescuing social care and it needs to be open with the public that there is a long way to go.

“The fundamental problem is that there continues to be a large funding gap in adult social care which needs filling.”

The committee has also called on the government to publish a ten-year plan for reforming social care, including measures to retain and grow the workforce and to ensure pay parity with NHS staff.

Mr Betts added: “The NHS and adult social care provision should not be pit against one another. The two systems are interdependent and each needs to be adequately funded to reduce pressure on the other.

“Wherever the money comes from - from allocating a higher proportion of levy proceeds to social care, or from central government grants – the government urgently needs to allocate more funding to adult social care in the order of several billions each year.”

Somerset County Council is currently responsible for adult social care, with these services transferring to the new unitary Somerset Council on April 1, 2023.

Cllr Heather Shearer, portfolio holder for adult social care, said: “The select committee’s report reflects the national reality that social care desperately needs long-term sustainable funding,

“For too long, social care has been treated as the poor relation to the NHS, and government urgently needs to address the disparity in pay and terms and conditions between health and care workers in order to attract vital staff to the care workforce.

“Until that parity is in place it will be immensely challenging to keep a skilled workforce in the field. Providing high quality care to our most vulnerable residents should be the measure of us as a society.

“We should pay staff properly for the valuable work they do. They should not be able to earn more stacking shelves.”

Mel Lock, the council’s director of adult social care, said the care market in Somerset remains fragile as a result of ongoing staff shortages and the cost of living crisis.

She said: “We are already working closely with our care provider market in addition to the NHS and community and voluntary sector to manage the challenges we’re facing, but there is a workforce shortage.

“This, alongside the cost-of-living challenges, is causing fragility in the market nationally and in Somerset. Upcoming changes to the way care is funded will continue placing additional demands on this workforce.”

The council has taken numerous steps over the last few years to highlight the issues surrounding adult social care – including a central role in the BBC Panorama investigation Crisis in Care, which was broadcast in 2019.

Ms Shearer said: “We do not shy away from telling difficult stories in Somerset, and we’ll continue to make our point, lobbying for appropriate funding.”

Ms Lock said Somerset had “unique challenges” in light of its ageing population and predominantly rural character – with local solutions such as micro-providers only being able to go so far in meeting patients’ needs.

She said: “Somerset’s ageing population is a bonus in many ways, as people continue to volunteer in their communities and keep that vibrant community support.

“As we all live longer, the ageing process affects us all. This, alongside the rural nature of Somerset, presents us with unique challenges, but social care is an absolute priority for the council.

“Events of the last two years have resulted in a perfect storm of pressures – reduced workforce capacity across the sector, increased complexity and a rising demand for care, cost of living pressures, and challenges in the private market such as home closures.”