KATE OSBORNE MP: Tory failure to address social care crisis will leave even more people unable to live in dignity in old age

Age UK has revealed that around 2.5 million people aged 50 and over, including one in five in their 80s, don’t get the care they need and deserve.

There is a desperate shortage of care workers, with vacancies at a record 165,000.

So what is the Tories’ response to tackling this grim situation? To strip even more funds away from the social care budget in England.

Two years ago, the Conservative Government pledged £500million to improve recruitment and encourage carers to stay in their jobs.

However, the Department of Health and Social Care announced it would stump up just £250million to provide training places and a new Care Certificate Qualification.

Under the plans to overhaul social care, which were published in December 2021, it was also promised "at least £150million" would go on making records digital.

The Government has now confirmed that the figure was cut down to £100million.

This failure to address the social care crisis will leave even more people unable to live in dignity in old age.

These are hardly the actions of a Government that “backs social care”.

In the pandemic this Government threw the elderly and care homes to the wolves – post-pandemic our elderly are still being deserted and betrayed.

Councils faced a £15billion real terms reduction to core government funding between 2010 and 2020, leaving them unable to provide basic reablement and social care services. Outsourcing social care has led to poorer services, poverty wages and ruined safeguards for our elderly.

Just over a year ago, the Social Care White Paper laid out the urgent reform needed to allow people to access the care and support they rely on. Now it has been diluted beyond recognition by the Tories.

Charities say that without addressing the workforce crisis, no increase in the quality of care can be achieved and those who rely on social care will suffer.

Age UK have said that millions of older and disabled people and their unpaid carers needed something far bigger and bolder than these plans to give hope for the future.

For the past 13 years, this Conservative Government has launched a dreadful programme of austerity to our welfare state, our education system, our local authorities and our public services which shape our daily lives.

We deserve better than this. Our elderly need better than this.

We need a Labour Government now.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​