LIB DEMS SUPPORT CARE MOTION

The Liberal Democrat Opposition Group on Warrington Council supported a Labour motion on the new National Care Service at the full Council meeting last Monday.

Cllr Judith Wheeler said, “We are supporting the Motion because reform of social care has been at the heart of Liberal Democrat policy for many years. It comes down to one simple question, which is the same question Baroness Casey's Commission has been putting to the public this year. When we are old, disabled or have a serious illness, who should support us, and how? If we don't fix social care, we will never end the crisis in the NHS or ease the pressure on local authority finances.

Alongside the Prime Minister’s promise to establish a National Care Service free at the point of use, the independent Casey Commission Report due in Summer 2027 will hopefully succeed when twenty-two previous attempts to reform social care, dating back to 1997 have failed.

The key message of the 2011 Dilnott Report, commissioned under the Coalition Government, was ‘…the need to secure a sustainable funding settlement for social care that has never been more urgent with local government and NHS finances under significant pressure and demand for services increasing as population ages’. Dilnott went on to say that the current social care system is widely regarded as inadequate, unfair and unsustainable.

My Party Leader Ed Davey is well known for his championing of the role of carers based on his own experience as a young carer, husband and father. On 29 July, he met Andy Burnham to start cross-party talks. The only way to begin to solve the crisis is to do it cross-party, because any solution must be long-lasting to withstand changes of leadership and government. We hope the Prime Minister will honour that approach.”

After the meeting, Cllr Laura Booth, Opposition Spokesperson for Social Care added, “However, we must ensure that as we move to systems and structures that are based on Artificial Intelligence and are digital and data led, individuals are not left behind. These are people who cannot use new technologies either because of mental or physical health issues or they are lacking in digital skills. There must be human support to help them with their care journey.”