Liz McInnes voices concern about bed blocking and social care cuts

Liz McInnes, Labour Member of Parliament for Heywood and Middleton

Liz McInnes, MP for Heywood and Middleton, has voiced concerns about bed blocking in the NHS as our health service approaches what many experts say will be its toughest winter yet.

Appearing on the Granada Debate on Thursday (27 October) on ITV, Ms McInnes called for an end to cuts to local government social care budgets and for the full integration of health and social care.

Alongside interviews with a range of health professionals about the impending crisis, the programme included a report which stated, ‘Experts predict this winter will be the worst the NHS has ever faced. Some claim the funding crisis in social care, an aging population and a shortage of doctors and nurses could bring the system close to collapse.’

Ms McInnes MP said: "Rochdale Council has suffered huge government cuts of £200 million in the last six years, and social care budgets face even more pressure in the years to come as the Council is forced to save a further £40 million.

"The social care precept of 2% on council tax this year will only raise around £1.4 million, and as council services are stripped to the bone by government it is sadly inevitable that important frontline services such as social care will eventually be effected.

"Across the country, cuts to social care services will inevitably have a knock-on effect on the NHS and make the bed blocking problem worse as patients are forced to stay in hospital for longer because they are unable to get the support they need at home.

"I was pleased to be able to appear on the Granada Debate programme to talk about this issue, but words are not enough. The government must act to give health and social care services the investment and protection they desperately need, and long term we must fully integrate health and social care, as Labour’s former Health Secretary and Greater Manchester Mayoral candidate Andy Burnham first proposed some years ago."