MP MANUELA Perteghella has slammed the chancellor’s “deafening silence” on the social care crisis.
The Stratford MP condemned the government’s Spending Review for failing to address the crisis in social care, warning that the NHS cannot be fixed while care services remain in freefall.
The review, announced by chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wednesday June 11, set out the government’s spending plans for the coming years.
It was billed as a chance to stabilise public services and stimulate economic growth, but the Liberal Democrats say that many across the care sector will be left alarmed by the lack of any new investment or reform to fix the growing crisis in social care.
Dr Perteghella said: “The chancellor’s silence on social care was deafening. Ministers continue to ignore the basic truth – we will never fix the NHS unless we fix social care. Right now, hospital beds are blocked because patients can’t be safely discharged. People are ending up in A and E because care in the community has been gutted. This is a crisis hiding in plain sight, and it is costing lives.”
Leader of Warwickshire Liberal Democrats Jerry Roodhouse added his concern around the government’s damaging tax decisions, particularly the Employer National Insurance hike, which he says is worsening the staffing crisis in the care sector.
He continued: “Recruitment and retention of staff to support residents is a major challenge for care providers in Warwickshire, and the government’s decision to hike National Insurance has only made it harder for them.
“Reversing this tax rise is a simple step that the chancellor could have taken to ease the burden on a sector already at breaking point.”
