Emma has endorsed Labour’s plans to transform the care system to make care more personalised and to prioritise the needs of families, after the Shadow Care Minister Liz Kendall set out the choice facing the British public in next year’s election.
Emma also warned that Coalition cuts to social care meant elderly and disabled people were missing out on care and putting NHS services under pressure. £3.5 billion has been cut from social care budgets under David Cameron. In South Shields and elsewhere that means care visits are getting shorter – some as little as 15 minutes. Care charges are rising, but fewer people are receiving help to live independently, fewer are having meals delivered to their house, and fewer are getting the adaptations they need to continue living at home.
Labour’s plans for whole person care would create a joined-up health and care system fit for the 21st century. People would have the right to control the services they receive, and whether they receive treatment in hospitals or in their own home.
Not only will this benefit care users but it will help to protect our NHS. Better care means fewer visits to A&E, fewer hospital stays and fewer operations.
Emma said:
“South Shields has one of the highest levels of people in need of adult social care, so this is a huge priority for our area. Under David Cameron nearly a quarter of care users no longer qualify for support, and this is making it harder for elderly or disabled people to live independently and with dignity.
“We need to be ready to meet the challenges an ageing population will bring, but the Coalition’s policies are putting more strain on the NHS and putting care costs up for families. We need to rethink about how we deliver health and care, and only Labour is offering the big reforms needed to make the system fit for the 21st century.”
Emma warned Parliament about the crisis in health and social care earlier this year. She also sat on Parliament’s Care Bill Committee, where she argued for measures to deal with the problem of 15-minute care visits, called for tougher inspections for care homes and highlighted the Bill’s failure to protect families from spiralling care costs.