Column: Talking Politics with Holly Lynch MP - It is getting harder to access the care and support people need

​Whether you work providing care, have received care as a patient, you will have seen that it is getting harder and harder for people to access the care and support that they need.

Systemic problems are stifling social care, which then impacts the NHS. The Courier’s investigation in February, found that the number of fit-for-discharge patients at Calderdale Royal Hospital rose from 1,030 in 2020 to 1,286 in 2022. These fit-for-discharge patients would be better served through home care and care in the community. Despite these pressures and the link being clear for all to see, the Government announced just last week that they will hold back half of the original £500m pledged back in 2021 to fund staff shortages within the social care sector. This is on top of 13 years of austerity.

Cuts to local government have resulted in £8bn being lost from adult social care budgets since 2010. The Chancellor has also delayed reforms for two years, asking councils to increase taxes on working people to plug funding gaps. The country is crying out for a long-term strategy on social care, which recognises the delicate balance between the NHS and social care and the impact they have on one another. The same can also be said of mental health services where a lack of support means children and adults alike end up in crisis before help is forthcoming. I’m sorry to say that my team and I are supporting a number of families and individuals in this position, each story is a tragedy in its own right.

We have to make sure that the right care and treatment is available when people need it. My colleague Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting has set-out a long-term plan for reform of adult social care. It means recruiting and retaining more carers through better rights at work, proper training and with a fair pay agreement. Labour will also take a home-first approach, increasing the use of early help and technology to help people live independently for as long as possible. Overtime, this will create a world-class National Care Service, complimenting the NHS and easing backlogs. Only when we prioritise care and invest in it will we see those fit for discharge figures start to come down.