MORE THAN 10,000 WORCESTERSHIRE RESIDENTS DENIED CARE AS DAN BOATRIGHT-GREENE WARNS FAMILIES ARE AT “BREAKING POINT”
West Worcestershire Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Dan Boatright-Greene has welcomed the beginning of cross-party talks on social care, while warning that they must produce lasting reform for families who have been let down for decades.
The first talks took place yesterday between Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey. They followed the Prime Minister’s announcement that Baroness Casey’s review of adult social care would be accelerated and report next summer.
Liberal Democrat analysis shows that 6,790 older people and 3,485 disabled working-age adults in Worcestershire were denied care in 2024/25—a total of 10,275 people across the county.
The Liberal Democrats have set out three tests for any lasting reform:
- Put family carers at the heart of the system, with guaranteed rights for every carer, including respite care and an overhaul of Carer’s Allowance.
- 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 placing increasing pressure on the NHS. Liberal Democrat analysis found that 2.46 million hospital bed days were lost to delayed discharges during the first part of 2026—more than during the equivalent period of any previous year.
Dan Boatright-Greene said:
“Every week I speak to families across Worcestershire who are at breaking point. Too many people are being left isolated and without the care they need, while relatives are expected to fill impossible gaps.
“More than 10,000 older and disabled people in Worcestershire were denied care last year. Behind every one of those figures is a person whose dignity and independence are at risk, and often a family carer desperately trying to hold everything together.
“Yesterdays cross-party talks were a welcome first step. But after 22 failed attempts to reform social care, this process must deliver more than another report that gathers dust.
“Councils cannot solve this national crisis alone. A broken care system piles pressure onto families, local services and the NHS.
“My priorities are clear: family carers must be at the heart of any settlement, everyone should be able to access the care they need regardless of their income, and nobody should lose their home or life savings because of catastrophic care costs.”