Health and Social Care Update Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Health and Social Care Update

Clive Betts Excerpts
Thursday 22nd September 2022

(2 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Thérèse Coffey Portrait Dr Coffey
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My right hon. Friend is right to consider the issue on a broader scale, but of course, we will be focusing on that with the local NHS. There are certainly some parts of the country where there is not the same provision and discharges are not happening to capacity, while in other parts of the country there are extraordinary amounts. That is what we need to focus on locally.

Clive Betts Portrait Mr Clive Betts (Sheffield South East) (Lab)
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Yesterday, the County Councils Network produced a statement saying that there is a crisis in social care, which echoed the findings of the Select Committee on Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The Secretary of State’s announcement of £500 million is welcome, but all it does is replace the funding stream that was cut in April, and will do exactly the same job. When is she going to recognise the enormous financial gap that councils are facing and the poverty pay that is not attracting care workers into the sector, and actually come forward with a real policy? If she wants the money, why not cancel the cut in corporation tax and use that funding to create real benefits for people in social care?