First ever national social care protest should be “wake up call” for government

Daisy Cooper MP for St Albans, and Victoria Collins MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted joined local care workers in the first ever national protest outside Parliament highlighting the social care crisis. 

The protest on 25 February also came as the Liberal Democrats released new House of Commons Library research showing that since 2017/18, when the government first introduced ring fenced funding for social care to help councils with the spiralling costs, they have shelled out close to £50 billion in top ups. 

This means that social care can now account for up to 80% of councils’ budgets, many of whom have already had to make vast cuts to other services. 

Daisy Cooper MP said:

“Good social care enables people to live their lives with independence and dignity but I’ve come across too many cases locally in St Albans where people are in a desperate state because the care they need just isn’t there. 

“When care packages aren’t available, or some of their care needs can’t be met, people are far more likely to end up in hospital through illness or injury and are also more likely to get stuck there because there isn’t the support to help them recover at home. 

“It’s simply not possible to save the NHS without fixing social care yet the social care crisis is a can that has been kicked down the road far too many times. Now the government’s ‘jobs tax’ is making matters even worse. 

“We Lib Dems have made social care the centrepiece of our campaigning. We’re calling for free personal care, such as help with personal washing and medications, for all those who need it. We’re calling for social care providers to be excluded from the government’s self-defeating jobs tax and we’re calling on the government to complete its social care review this year - not in three years' time. As the chanting crowds of care workers made clear - 2028 is too late! This protest should be a wake up call.” 

And Victoria Collins MP said:

“Our care sector here in Harpenden and Berkhamsted clearly can’t cope any longer without urgent reform - and the government’s decision to up National Insurance costs for care providers will be an absolutely devastating blow, that could push many over the edge.

“Whether it’s local residents having difficulty accessing vital care, or care workers raising the alarm about the impact of national insurance contributions or the lack of reform - this protest was a sign that our local community is crying out for resolution to this social care crisis.

“At the moment, Labour seem to be following the Conservatives in failing to give this crisis the time and attention it deserves. This must change: they must exempt providers from this national insurance hike, and conclude their review of the sector and the key reforms needed by the end of this year. It’s clear that the social care sector and people who rely on it can’t wait any longer.”

Recent research by the Local Government Association also found that investing in earlier preventative support in social care would improve people’s lives and save £3.17 for every pound spent. The report found potential savings to the public purse could reach £11.1 billion if preventative health and social care is scaled up across the country.

And the crisis in social care has devastating consequences across the whole health care system. Care England said last year that over 45% of hospital discharge delays were linked to social care with one in seven of all hospital beds currently being taken up by people who are medically fit to be discharged. 

Currently hospitals are experiencing bed occupancy levels of 96%, safe levels are those that are below 85%. This contributes to long delays in A&Es as people cannot be admitted into hospital as no beds are available with previous analysis suggesting that long A&E waits were linked to 50,000 deaths last year.

Since the Autumn Budget, Daisy and Victoria have also been highlighting in Parliament how damaging the government’s jobs tax will be for local health and care providers, housing and charitable providers including Quantum Care, Hightown Housing Association (providing social homes) and Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care in St Albans, and the Hospice of St Francis in Berkhamsted and the Elms Medical Practice in Harpenden.