End the social care scandal now costing the NHS and taxpayers £27,000 a hour due to political neglect – The Yorkshire Post says

Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s neglect over social care is exposed – Tom Richmond

They are proud people who do not wish to be a burden to others; the misuse of this misleading phrase, which should be banned, causes anxiety and angst to OAPs in frail health when the fault rests with the failure of successive governments to address the issue of social care. They’re the guilty parties.

Social care consequences must not be ducked during general election – The Yorkshire Post says

And why does the issue of ‘delayed discharges’ matter so much? Damning research by Age UK reveals they are costing the NHS £27,000 every hour – the equivalent of £640,000 a day – or a cumulative total of £587m since the last election. Money which could be better used if there was a joined-up health and social care policy.

Three million new reasons to act over social care crisis – The Yorkshire Post says

These figures also confirm the painful price that the country is paying for the failure of all parties to even attempt to work together to come up with a long-term funding plan.

Yes, the Tories must accept a heavy responsibility for this – they have been in power for nearly a decade – but, equally, Labour could, even in Opposition, have shown far more leadership and tried to take the initiative rather than simply snipe from the sidelines. And as rival parties now try to outbid each other when it comes to health spending, this numbers game is at the expense of addressing two fundamental flaws in their respective approaches.

Hospitals will continue to struggle to meet the expectations of patients, and also balance their books, unless there is social care reform and a greater emphasis on personal health that encourages the obese, smokers and others to take more responsibility for their lifestyles and wellbeing. The lingering regret is that so few political leaders appear to accept these realities.