Tag Archives: nhs crisis

9 January 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 9th January 2025 - 11:20 pm

Food prices set to rise: news will be hammer blow for millions already choosing between heating and eating
NHS stats: winter “one of the most brutal on record” as Lib Dems call on Streeting to bring forward emergency plan to protect patients
‘Bed blocking’ has already cost NHS £165 million this winter as Davey calls on govt to finish social care review this year
Market turmoil: Chancellor should cancel China trip for emergency growth statement
Oxford Farming Conference: Reed’s “regret” not good enough – Starmer must reverse family farm tax
More than 440,000 police officer and staff days lost to mental health since 2019

Food prices set to rise: news will be hammer blow for millions already choosing between heating and eating

Responding to the British Retail Consortium saying that food prices will rise by 4.2% in the latter half of this year as “retailers battle the £7 billion of increased costs in 2025 from the Budget”, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

This news will come as a hammer blow to families across the country. Millions of people are already having to choose between heating and eating and the prospect of even more pressure on stretched budgets will be incredibly worrying.

The new government is faced with the enormous challenge of cleaning up the Conservative Party’s economic vandalism, but their approach so far risks repeating more mistakes.

It’s now clear as day that the Chancellor’s misguided national insurance hike is only going to hammer household budgets further by forcing up prices. Ministers must recognise their error and scrap this tax hike immediately.

NHS stats: winter “one of the most brutal on record” as Lib Dems call on Streeting to bring forward emergency plan to protect patients

Responding to NHS England saying that this is the busiest year on record for emergency services, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:

This winter threatens to be one of the most brutal on record. Patients are suffering through deadly delays and staff are already at breaking point.

There can be no overstating just dangerous this situation is after years of the previous Conservative government’s shameful neglect of our NHS.

It is of paramount importance that the new government grips this crisis urgently. That must start with the Health Secretary producing an emergency plan in the coming days to protect patients from this ongoing disaster.

‘Bed blocking’ has already cost NHS £165 million this winter as Davey calls on govt to finish social care review this year

This winter has already seen 417,220 bed days taken up by patients that were well enough to be discharged – costing the NHS £165 million or £4.8 million a day

12,271 of England’s 103,277 hospital beds have been taken up by people who are fit to be discharged everyday this winter – the equivalent of just under one in eight

Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey has called on the government to complete its social care review by the end of the year to take pressure off hospitals

This winter has already seen 417,220 bed days taken up by patients that were fit enough to be discharged, the equivalent of 1 in 8, costing the NHS £165 million in just over a month research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Also tagged bed blocking, capital gains tax, daisy cooper, ed davey, helen morgan, inflation, liam mcarthur, national insurance contributions, police and tim farron | 15 Comments

3 January 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 3rd January 2025 - 11:35 pm

Shocking research reveals almost 4 in 5 car thefts go unsolved
Davey: Social care commission “long overdue”
Davey: social care review should be “done and dusted within a year”
Flu admissions: alarming consequences from lack of winterpoofing
SNP have starved local communities of funding for public toilets

Shocking research reveals almost 4 in 5 car thefts go unsolved

Shock data reveals that on average 78.5% of all car thefts go unsolved, a grand total of 24,837 in the quarter ending June 2024.

Liberal Democrats are urging the government to restore proper community policing, where officers have the time and resources to properly respond to neighbourhood crimes like car theft.

Data from the Home Office reveals the extent of the car theft epidemic in England and Wales, with almost 25,000 car thefts going unsolved in just three months.

The Metropolitan Police force reported the worst figures, with a staggering 90% of all reported car thefts going unsolved. South Yorkshire followed closely behind with 85% of theft going unsolved, Essex, Wiltshire, Sussex and Hertfordshire also all reported that at least 80% of car thefts were unsolved in the quarter ending June 2024.

By contrast, only 2.8% or just under 900 cases on average end with the criminal being charged or summonsed across the whole of England and Wales.

It follows previous Liberal Democrat research that revealed last year, police did not even attend the scene in over 70% of car theft cases.

The Liberal Democrats have blamed the previous Conservative government for these figures, arguing that years of ineffective resourcing has left frontline policing decimated. This includes the decision to take over 4,500 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) off the streets since 2015.

The party is calling on the government to urgently restore proper community policing, where officers have the time and resources to properly respond to neighbourhood crimes like car theft.

Commenting on the data, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Smart MP said:

Tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales are being left without the justice they deserve, with a staggeringly high number of car thefts going unsolved, and thieves getting away scot free.

This cannot continue. Every victim of a crime deserves to feel safe and protected by the police, but unfortunately after brutal cuts to community police officers that is far from the truth.

We urge the new government to change the course by getting tough on crime, investing properly in local neighbourhood policing and keeping communities safe.

Davey: Social care commission “long overdue”

Commenting on the Government’s annoucement of an independent commission into adult social care, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Also tagged car thefts, ed davey, helen morgan, lisa smart, public toilets, social care and willie rennie | 2 Comments

22 October 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 22nd October 2024 - 10:30 pm

Borrowing and debt figures: Burden must not fall on hard working households
Water Commission: More urgency needed to reform industry
Over one million 12 hour A&E waits this year as Lib Dems call on Chancellor to “winterproof” the NHS at the Budget
Braverman: Conservative leadership candidates must rule out shadow cabinet role
Jardine Introduces Bill to Improve Support for Bereaved Children
Cole-Hamilton: A&E in crisis as winter looms

Borrowing and debt figures: Burden must not fall on hard working households

Commenting on the latest figures on the public sector’s level of borrowing and debt, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

Today’s figures highlight the difficult position of our public finances after years of mismanagement under the previous Conservative Government – but this can’t be an excuse for the Chancellor to make the wrong decisions at the Budget.

We need to see urgent investment in our NHS and public services which have been reduced to their knees and bold action to fix our crumbling schools and hospitals.

The burden of fixing the Conservatives’ mess mustn’t fall on hard working households, but on the big banks, social media companies and oil and gas giants that can afford to pay a small amount of their soaring profits to get our public services back on their feet.

Water Commission: More urgency needed to reform industry

Responding to the government announcing a new Independent Water Commission, Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

Far more urgency is needed from the government on tackling the disgraced water industry, which has been allowed to get away with endless environmental scandals for too long.

Even before this Commission begins, the government should be getting on with introducing a new regulator with real teeth and power to get hold of these profiteering firms.

Whilst a review of the industry is welcome, it should not be used as a tool to kick the can down the road on immediate reforms.

Sadly, the government’s approach is still a job half done. It is time to put an end to profit before the environment in the water industry, and an end to this national scandal.

Over one million 12 hour A&E waits this year as Lib Dems call on Chancellor to “winterproof” the NHS at the Budget

NHS braced for another winter crisis as figures reveal a 20% rise in 12 hour A&E waits so far this year

Worst hit areas have seen a six-fold increase in 12 hour A&E waits compared to last year

Lib Dems warn this is a “life or death” issue and call on government to announce new ring-fenced fund in the Budget to end winter crises in the health service

Over one million patients have faced waits of 12 hours or more in A&E in England so far this year, up a fifth compared to the same period last year, new data uncovered by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Also tagged Alex Cole-Hamilton, ben maguire, child bereavement, christine jardine, daisy cooper, government borrowing, suella braverman, tim farron and water industry | 1 Comment

15 October 2024 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 16th October 2024 - 10:15 pm

Wage Growth falls: Govt must back small businesses as the backbone of our economy
NI Rise: Chancellor needs to think again
Poll: 1 in 4 reveal they are unable to work because they can’t get a NHS appointment
Lib Dems urge further UK government sanctions to proscribe far-right Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich
Highland MP to lead debate on Community Benefits from Renewables
Cole-Hamilton: A&E waits once again worse than last year

Wage Growth falls: Govt must back small businesses as the backbone of our economy

Responding to the latest wage growth figures falling by 4.9%, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

The cost of living crisis is still affecting many people across the country.

The cost of the weekly shop remains sky high compared to a few years ago, and years of mismanagement under the Conservative Government had squeezed people’s pay.

The Government must use the Autumn Budget to tackle the cost-of-living crisis facing pensioners and families, and also back small businesses as the backbone of our economy.

NI Rise: Chancellor needs to think again

Responding to Keir Starmer refusing to rule out a National Insurance increase for employers in the Budget on BBC Breakfast, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Treasury Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

The Chancellor needs to think again if the government is considering hiking taxes on small businesses, who have already suffered from eye-watering tax rises under the last Conservative government.

The burden of this budget should fall on the likes of big banks, social media giants and oil and gas firms, instead of our local community businesses. The Chancellor should be protecting these smaller businesses, who are the backbone of our economy and the heartbeat of our communities.

Now is not the time to raise national insurance rates on our high streets, local businesses and dynamic entrepreneurs.

The Conservative government has left our economy on life support. Now is the time to boost growth by backing small businesses and repairing our crumbling public services.

Poll: 1 in 4 reveal they are unable to work because they can’t get a NHS appointment

The Liberal Democrats will be using their first full opposition day in 15 years to focus on the NHS and care crisis.

Almost half (45%) of Brits have tried to get a NHS appointment in the last year and have been unable to.

1 in 4 (27%) reveal they are unable to work because they can’t get a NHS appointment

Almost three in five (58%) adults who were unable to get a NHS appointment have self-diagnosed from searching their symptoms online.

The Liberal Democrats will use their opposition day in Parliament tomorrow to raise the NHS crisis, as a shocking new poll commissioned by the party reveals reveals a quarter (27%) of working adults in the UK say they have been unable to work in the last 12 months because they were waiting for a GP (19%) or NHS dentist appointment (12%).

Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Also tagged accident and emergency, Alex Cole-Hamilton, Angus MacDonald, calum miller, community energy projects, daisy cooper, helen morgan, israel, national insurance, sanctions, wages and wendy chamberlain | 2 Comments

9 April 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 9th April 2024 - 11:20 pm

Hospital’s spend £3million on pest control as patients suffer from rats and insects
Cameron and Trump: European leaders’ summit needed to seize frozen Russian assets
Cole-Hamilton: SNP have failed to help A&E recover
Lib Dems launch London Transport Policy – Blackie: “No more bus cuts”

Hospital’s spend £3million on pest control as patients suffer from rats and insects

Staff report being bitten by bugs as rats roam maternity and emergency wards
Freedom of Information requests reveal NHS Hospitals coping with 18,000 pest incidents since 2021
Liberal Democrat Leader demands urgent repair fund for crumbling hospitals

Freedom of Information Requests by the Liberal Democrats have revealed the extent of pests roaming NHS Hospitals. As the NHS repair backlog reaches record levels, these new revelations show staff and patients subjected to poor conditions.

Since 2021, over 60 NHS Trusts have reported £3.7 million spent on pest control at their hospitals. Imperial College NHS Trust, which includes St.Mary’s Hospital London, spent a staggering £383,597 on pest control, including dealing with 748 pest incidents last year alone.

East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust spent £119,199 to deal with mice in the kitchen, maggots in the mortuary and rat droppings in a corpse bag, amongst many other pests.

The most shocking incidents were reported by East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Trust, which includes Colchester Hospital and Ipswich Hospital. Staff reported:

Black insects are biting the legs of staff
Ants and fly infestations
Rats in the ambulance area

At Ashford NHS Trust, dead headless pigeons and dead rabbits, as well as slug and ants were reported. Royal United Hospitals Bath reported pests in the children’s ward and breast clinic.

Posted in London, News, Press releases and Scotland | Also tagged accident and emergency, Alex Cole-Hamilton, bus services, ed davey, public transport, rob blackie and ukraine | 2 Comments

One in three Brits miss work while waiting for healthcare

By The Voice | Mon 20th November 2023 - 9:31 am

Shock poll reveals staggering number of working UK adults say they have missed work in the past year due to being stuck on waiting lists or attempting to see a GP or dentist

Half of young adults (18-34) missed work last year due to NHS waiting lists

Lib Dem MP warns crisis in the NHS is damaging economic growth as one in three adults missed work waiting for an appointment in the last year

Party calls on the Government to use the £13bn windfall to deliver 8,000 GPs, cut waiting times and improve mental health support, among other measures

A new poll, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, has found that one in three working adults say they have missed work in the last year while waiting for a medical appointment or treatment on the NHS.

That includes over half (54%) of young adults (18-34) who say they’ve been forced to miss work in the past year due to soaring health waiting lists, including seeing GPs.

Posted in News and Press releases | Also tagged public health and sarah olney | 2 Comments

Two million patient admissions at NHS hospitals with crumbling roofs last year

By NewsHound | Mon 13th March 2023 - 7:30 am

Lib Dems demand this week’s Budget includes emergency funding to fix dangerous hospital roofs

18 trusts have buildings fitted with roofs which NHS chiefs warn could collapse at any moment

Almost 6,000 patient admissions a day last year at hospital trusts with crumbling roofs

There were a staggering two million patient admissions at hospitals with crumbling roofs at risk of collapse last year, new analysis by the Liberal Democrats has found.

The Liberal Democrats are demanding emergency funding in this week’s Budget to replace the crumbling roofs at every affected hospital and prevent patients’ safety being put at risk.

18 NHS hospital trusts around the …

Posted in News and Press releases | Also tagged daisy cooper and health and safety | 2 Comments

17-19 February – the weekend’s press release

By Mark Valladares | Mon 20th February 2023 - 1:16 pm

Hundreds of sewage leaks in England’s hospitals over the last year

Shocking reports of patients slipping over on sewage, staff becoming ill and urine & faeces leaking into offices and wards

Sewage flows in A&E departments, cancer wards and maternity centres amongst other critical hospital buildings

Liberal Democrat Leader demands urgent funds to fix hospitals before more patients and staff suffer from disgusting conditions

Freedom of Information Requests by the Liberal Democrats to NHS Trusts has revealed in the past twelve months there has been a staggering 456 sewage leaks in England’s hospitals. 55 NHS Trusts provided responses which reveal the shocking state of …

Posted in News and Press releases | Also tagged ed davey | Leave a comment

Lib Dem analysis shows 350,000 patients waiting over 12 hours for a hospital bed in 2022

By News Meerkat | Tue 24th January 2023 - 9:15 am

Embed from Getty Images

A record 350,000 patients, equivalent to the population of Leicester, waited more than 12 hours to be admitted to hospital from A&E in 2022.

The figures were uncovered in new analysis by the Liberal Democrats showing a staggering rise in 12 hour delays at A&E since 2015.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has set out an NHS rescue plan to reduce the shocking A&E delays which he warned are “needlessly costing lives”. This includes recruiting 8,000 more GPs, giving pharmacists more powers to prescribe medicines and boosting funding to get eligible patients out of hospital and into social care. The proposals would mean fewer desperate people turning to A&E after struggling to get a GP appointment.

Posted in News | Leave a comment

Lib Dems call for government to declare NHS “major incident”

By NewsHound | Mon 2nd January 2023 - 5:42 pm

Over the New Year, Lib Dem MPs have been attacking the government’s record on our crisis ridden NHS. Government ministers are conspicuous by their absence and have not yet responded, leaving any comment to civil servants.

Today’s Times, Guardian the Independent and other media report that people are resorting to DIY medical treatments after failing to get face-to-face appointments with GPs. Some go to A&E instead. But up to 500 people a week are dying due to A&E delays according to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Several NHS trusts have declared critical incidents. Ambulance staff in some trusts have been urged to conserve oxygen supplies due to a surge in demand.

The British Medical Association said:

The current situation in the NHS is intolerable and unsustainable, both for our patients and the hardworking staff desperately trying to keep up with incredibly high levels of demand.

The BMA has repeatedly invited the government to sit down and talk about the pressures on our health service, but their silence is deafening. It is disingenuous for the prime minister to talk about ‘backing the NHS’ in his new year message, when his own health secretary is failing to discuss how this crisis can be fixed.”

Daisy Cooper, Lib Dem health spokesperson said:

This is a life or death situation for huge numbers of patients. The NHS is collapsing in front of our eyes whilst the Prime Minister and Health Secretary are nowhere to be seen. This is a national crisis and the country will never forgive the Government if they refuse to recall Parliament whilst hundreds of people die in parked ambulances or hospital corridors.

Nobody should lose a loved one because the Government was asleep on the job.

Posted in News | Also tagged featured | 14 Comments

ALDC’s By-Election report – 13 March 2025

Improving social care and attitudes to migrants

A distinctive defence niche for the Lib Dems to seize

What would Paddy do?

Tag Archives: nhs crisis

9 January 2025 – today’s press releases

22 October 2024 – today’s press releases

15 October 2024 – yesterday’s press releases

9 April 2024 – today’s press releases

One in three Brits miss work while waiting for healthcare

Two million patient admissions at NHS hospitals with crumbling roofs last year

17-19 February – the weekend’s press release

Lib Dem analysis shows 350,000 patients waiting over 12 hours for a hospital bed in 2022

Lib Dems call for government to declare NHS “major incident”

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ALDC’s By-Election report – 13 March 2025

Improving social care and attitudes to migrants

A distinctive defence niche for the Lib Dems to seize

What would Paddy do?

Tag Archives: nhs crisis

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