Labour government 'has 100 days to save social care'

The Department of Heath and Social Care said it knows people are suffering without the care they need

A care home operator has said that the new Labour government has "100 days to save the sector".

Liberal Democrat councillor and manager of Chestnut Lodge in Yeovil, Graham Oakes, said: "I would say social care is in intensive care, and it's on a ventilator. It needs urgent treatment."

He said he is aware of many "struggling" care homes in the county which he would be surprised if they made it through the winter.

A spokesperson for the Department of Heath and Social Care said: “We are going to grip the social care crisis, starting with the workforce by delivering a new deal for care workers."

Mr Oakes, who has worked in the care sector for many years, said he would "happily" host the Prime Minister Keir Starmer to show him the difficulties the sector is facing.

He added that the new government now has a "wonderful opportunity".

"The Labour government have a massive majority and they’ve 100 days to save social care. They cannot leave it," he said.

"If they leave it till the winter, the social care system will not function well enough to help the NHS out.

"The NHS will have problems this winter. That’s unavoidable. They need us to be fully operational. Get that money in there. Help us to help the NHS and we will all benefit."

Graham Oakes said he would "happily" host the Prime Minister Keir Starmer

It is widely accepted the social care sector has been struggling for years.

Rising inflation, soaring fuel bills and a chronic staff shortage are just some of the current challenges.

The cost of adult social care almost bankrupt Somerset Council earlier this year, with 70% of its projected £100m budget overspend down to the rising cost of the sector.

Hilary Robinson from the Registered Care Providers Association is calling on the new government to "dig deep"

Hilary Robinson is the chief executive of the Registered Care Providers Association, which represents more than 100 care providers in Somerset.

She said: "The boat is sinking. The lifeboat is being deployed."

She is calling on the Labour government to take notice and "dig deep" to give the sector the investment it needs.

Bill Revans said the government's funding of local government is "reaching crisis point"

The Liberal Democrat leader of Somerset Council Bill Revans said the current situation is "the cumulative impact of the broken model of local government finance and adult social care".

He believes it is wrong that adult social care is funded out of a tax on people's property value in 1991.

"This is a problem that has been known about for years," he added.

"The government has said it is going to solve it for years. They've just not done it.

"It's now reaching crisis point for councils all across the country."

Mr Revans has introduced a number of measures to prevent his local authority from going bust, including reducing the workforce, selling off property and devolving services to town councils.

But ultimately he said the government needs to bail them out and modernise the funding formula for local government.

Sarah Dyke said she will be putting pressure on the government to make sure social care is at the top of the agenda

Several Liberal Democrat MPs in the county are also calling on the government to introduce an an emergency health and social care budget.

Sarah Dyke, who is the MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, and a Somerset councillor, is among them.

She said: "The funding model for social care is broken.

"We need to give local authorities the appropriate funding they need to deliver these vital frontline services.

"If we protect and deliver on social care, we'll alleviate the pressure on NHS services going forward. So it's absolutely vital that we look at both of them together."

'Grip the crisis'

A spokesperson for the Department of Heath and Social Care said: “We know that people are suffering without the care they need, and we are committed to ensuring everyone lives an independent, dignified life.

“We are going to grip the social care crisis, starting with the workforce by delivering a new deal for care workers.

“We will also take steps to create a National Care Service underpinned by national standards, delivering consistency of care across the country.”