Liberal Democrats call on Prime Minister Burnham to end the “social care catastrophe” as 6,790 older people in Worcestershire were denied care last year
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey and West Worcestershire parliamentary candidate Dan Boatright-Greene have warned Prime Minister Andy Burnham that failing to reform social care would be “a catastrophe for families, for the NHS and for local services”.
As the new Prime Minister enters Number 10, the Liberal Democrats have set out three tests for his government on social care reform.
The announcement follows an open offer from Ed Davey to work with the Labour government across party lines to tackle the crisis.
New analysis by the Liberal Democrats shows that 6,790 older people in Worcestershire were denied care in 2024/25, alongside 3,485 disabled working-age adults.
Meanwhile, House of Commons Library analysis commissioned by the party shows an eye-watering rise in the amount families are paying towards care. Individual contributions to local authority social care increased by 60% between 2020/21 and 2024/25, rising from £2.93 billion to £4.68 billion.
The Liberal Democrats’ three tests for reforming social care are:
- Put family carers front and centre, with guaranteed rights for every carer, including respite care and the full replacement of the broken Carer’s Allowance so that families can afford to care.
- Establish a universal safety net of care, including free personal care.
- Protect people from catastrophic costs so that no family sees its finances devastated by care needs.
The social care crisis is also having a major knock-on effect on the NHS, with record numbers of patients stuck in hospital despite being medically fit for discharge.
Liberal Democrat analysis has found that a record 2.46 million hospital bed days have been lost to delayed discharges so far in 2026—more than during the equivalent period of any previous year.
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for West Worcestershire Dan Boatright-Greene said:
“When I am out speaking to local people, it is heartbreaking to meet families who have lost everything to care costs, or who have been left isolated and unsupported without the care they need.
“The crisis in social care is a millstone around the neck of our community. It is clobbering families across Worcestershire, squeezing budgets for vital council services and undermining our NHS. Andy Burnham must work with local government and the NHS to finally deliver change.
“People in Worcestershire deserve better. From older people being left bed-bound to families seeing their life savings spent on dementia care, our system resembles the 1920s more than the 2020s.
“By guaranteeing a minimum level of care, protecting families from crippling costs and properly supporting family carers, we can end this appalling crisis.”