• Lib Dems table King’s Speech amendment to “rescue social care” as half of care homes lost in some areas
• Lib Dems demand clarity on IT outage impact on patients
• Rennie calls for Swinney to head off bin strikes

Lib Dems table King’s Speech amendment to “rescue social care” as half of care homes lost in some areas

• Lib Dems have tabled an amendment to the King’s Speech to rescue social care and call for a cross-party commission
• Ed Davey says that “people and their loved ones simply cannot wait any longer” after the Conservative Party “broke social care”
• Number of care homes in England has fallen by 1,455 (9.1%) since 2018 with half of care homes lost in some areas in “stark postcode lottery”

The Liberal Democrats have tabled an amendment to the King’s Speech to rescue social care, as figures reveal the number of care homes in England has fallen by close to 1,500 since 2018.

The amendment calls for free personal care in England, better support for carers and a cross-party commission on social care to provide the desperately needed long-term reforms to the sector.

House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats shows the number of care homes in England has fallen from 16,020 in 2018 to 14,565 in 2024. Three-quarters (73%) of all constituencies in England have seen a fall in the number of care homes since 2018.

There is a deep crisis in social care with half a million people on waiting lists for care in residential settings or at home and one in 10 care staff positions are vacant.

There has also been a loss of nearly 6,000 care home beds since 2018 with some areas seeing sharp drop offs. In Hornsey and Wood Green 55% of beds have been lost, in Wythenshawe and Sale East it is 37% and Bristol South was 36% since 2018. 306 of the 534 constituencies in England have seen a reduction in the number of care home beds since 2018.

The Lib Dems have previously said that a rescue package for social care could be paid for by raising £4 billion through reversing the Conservatives tax cuts for the big banks since 2016.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

I know from speaking with people across the country in recent weeks and from my own personal experience just how broken our social care system is. People cannot find care homes nearby for their loved ones and when they do many cannot afford the spiralling cost of care.

This stark postcode lottery reveals once again just how badly the Conservative Party damaged social care. Their neglect of local health and care services has driven our NHS into the ground and left families struggling to find care for their loved ones.

I am proud the Liberal Democrats have tabled this amendment to the King’s Speech to stand up for care and carers. We will be the voice of carers in this Parliament and work with others to find solutions to the big challenge of social care.

Lib Dems demand clarity on IT outage impact on patients

The Liberal Democrats have written to the Health Secretary demanding to know how many patients were affected by the IT issues which hit the country last Friday and what action he will take in order to minimise the issues for affected patients.

In her letter to the Health Secretary, Lib Dem Health and Social Care spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said that “it is right that patients are given clarity over the true extent of the disruption they have suffered as a result of these IT failures” when calling on Wes Streeting to reveal the number of GP appointments cancelled and how many cancer patients will be affected by delays.

Daisy Cooper went on to ask Ellie Reeves MP in Parliament this afternoon what steps the government would be taking towards minimising ongoing difficulties and ensuring those who faced cancellations and disruption would be seen as soon as possible.

Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, Daisy Cooper MP said:

Patients across the country faced a wave of disruption last week that must urgently be addressed.

With the NHS brought to its knees by years of Conservative failure and neglect, too many are already waiting anxiously for far too long for desperately needed care.

The Secretary of State needs to make clear how many patients have been affected and what steps he is taking to minimise the disruption.

Rennie calls for Swinney to head off bin strikes

Responding to the news that unions representing Scotland’s waste workers, have turned down the latest offer of 3.2 per cent pay rise meaning that there may be bin strikes in August, Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Willie Rennie said:

Two years ago stinking piles of waste stacked up while the Scottish Government stuck to the line that there was nothing they could do for far too long.

It’s not as if these negotiations can come as a surprise to ministers. Councils are in a bind because the Scottish Government sets their budgets.

John Swinney desperately needs to prove he is not as bad as Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf. One way to do that would be to head off these strikes before they come to pass.