Mayor Condemns Government as Autumn Statement Neglects Social Care Funding Crisis

Mayor Dave Hodgson has condemned the Government's disregard for elderly and vulnerable people following an Autumn Statement which included no new funding to tackle the 'full-scale crisis' in the country's social care system.

Across the health and care sector there is an overwhelming recognition that social care services are massively underfunded and in sore need of additional resources, with patients groups, charities, care providers, NHS organisations and councils all sending the message loud and clear to the government and the Chancellor in the run up to the Autumn Statement earlier this week.

All were to be sorely disappointed, as no new money at all was identified. beforehand as rumours circulated that some additional resources would be included in recognition of the desperate funding situation for social care, but they proved to be unfounded as no new money was identified.

Commenting, Mayor Dave Hodgson said: "It beggars belief that the Government continues to turn a blind eye to the full-scale crisis in social care funding. Councils, the NHS, charities and care providers are all under incredible strain with the need for care massively outstripping the resources available."

"The social care system in this country is quite frankly at breaking point. We are fighting to protect the services that the elderly and vulnerable rely on from day to day, but this will very soon become an impossible task if the government continues to neglect what everyone else recognises is a national crisis."