Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, joined local MP Josh MacAlister on a visit to West Cumberland Hospital this week to meet staff and patients.
Wards were off limits due to flu outbreaks, but Josh and Wes met with the hospital leadership and with staff and patients in A&E and the Same Day Emergency Care Unit. It was an opportunity to thank staff for their hard work during the difficult winter period and discuss some of the challenges facing the hospital and our NHS and social care services.
The Health and Care Secretary’s visit to Cumbria included the announcement of major reforms to fix the broken social care system and extra funding to keep older people out of hospital and in their homes, alongside the launch of a new cross-party independent commission to establish a National Care Service.
On a visit to a recently adapted property in Carlisle, Wes confirmed a £652,033 funding boost to Cumberland Council as part of an extra £86 million for the Disabled Facilities Grant, on top of the additional £86 million already announced in the Budget. This brings the total investment in adaptations allowing elderly people to live independently in their own homes to £711 million.
Alongside the funding, the government’s immediate action to support adult social care also includes using technology to transform care and support older people to live at home for longer, cutting red tape to ensure funding is keeping people healthy and taking pressure off the NHS.
Care workers across West Cumbria will be better supported to take on further duties to deliver health interventions, such as blood pressure checks, meaning people can receive more routine checks and care at home without needing to travel to healthcare settings. The national career structure for care staff will also be expanded, ensuring there are opportunities for career progression and development pathways.
The government will also develop a shared digital platform to allow up-to-date medical information to be shared between the NHS and care staff, including when someone last took their medication, to ensure people receive the best possible care.
Alongside these immediate steps, the government is also kickstarting work on the necessary long term reform to overhaul social care. As set out in the manifesto, this deep reform will include the creation of a National Care Service underpinned by national standards, delivering consistency of care across the country.
The government has launched an independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey and reporting to the Prime Minister, to work on a cross-party basis to build a consensus for how to build an adult social care system to meet the current and future needs of the population.
Whitehaven and Workington MP Josh MacAlister said:
“I’m very thankful that the Secretary of State took the time to visit our local hospital to thank staff and hear directly from those working on the frontline of the NHS about the challenges they’re facing after the previous government almost brought our NHS to its knees.
“One of the key issues raised by staff was the number of older people stuck in hospital because the social care system isn’t functioning properly and people can’t be sent home because they don’t have support. The extra money announced for Cumberland Council will be vital in supporting more people in West Cumbria to live at home with the dignity, independence and quality of life that they deserve.
“We also had the chance for a good discussion with Wes about some of the opportunities that the government’s additional funding and reforms could unlock to improve health and care services in West Cumbria. Improving these services is a top priority for me as your MP and I will use every lever at my disposal to deliver the improvements we need and deserve.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
“I was in Cumbria to announce immediate investment and reforms to help modernise social care, get it working more closely with the NHS, and help deliver our Plan for Change.
“But our ageing society, with costs of care set to double in the next 20 years, demands longer term action. The independent commission I also announced in Cumbria this week will work to build a national consensus around a new National Care Service able to meet the needs of older and disabled people into the 21st century.”
Josh MacAlister MP 