MP attends Age UK’s parliamentary reception

Tony Lloyd MP attends Age UK’s Parliamentary reception to put older people’s views at the centre of the social care debate

Tony Lloyd, MP for Rochdale, met with older people from across the country at an event in parliament organised by the charity Age UK.  

The event focused on older people’s views of social care and is part of Age UK’s campaign for a better social care system.

As part of this campaign Age UK has been organising focus groups across the country, speaking to older people and their carers about their experience of the care system and what changes they would like to see from the government’s consultation this summer.

Age UK’s new report from this work was launched at the reception and included the top five problems they heard at every listening event:

• The quality of care people receive too often just isn’t good enough
• Too many professional carers are in a rush and there’s no continuity
• Social care is very expensive and often not good value for money
• Many family carers feel abandoned and unsupported by the NHS and social care
• The social care system is dysfunctional and navigating it is too difficult

The reception was a chance for MPs to meet with older people to discuss how best to improve the care system to address these problems and the event also included speeches from care minister Caroline Dinenage MP and shadow social care minister Barbara Keeley MP.

Mr Lloyd said: “Improving the quality of social care is essential to providing dignity in older age and independence and support for people who are vulnerable. The stories told by the older people, carers and adult children at the Age UK parliamentary event were deeply concerning. Too many care visits are too fleeting, which prevents people getting the care they need.

“At a time when the social care system is coming under increasing pressure, this Tory government is failing to take the immediate action required to find a long-term and sustainable funding solution. £6.3 billion has been cut from adult social care budgets since 2010 and there are 400,000 fewer people receiving necessary help. The government simply must act now.”

Caroline Abrahams, Age UK Charity Director, said: “Some of the stories told at these events were harrowing and the distress of those adult children and family carers who were struggling and often failing to secure really good, consistent care for the older people they loved so much was tangible and moving. Everyone wanted politicians to act and improve social care services now, as well as providing more financial and practical support for unpaid carers.”

“These older people and their family carers have thrown down the gauntlet to some of our leading politicians to resolve the terrible problems of the adult social care system, once and for all, and we can only hope that they listen and respond.”