Research

by Labour has revealed that the number of people spending the Christmas

period stuck in hospital due to Delayed Transfer of Care almost doubled between

2010 and 2016.

The

Patient Snapshot, which is the number of people who are stuck in hospital at

midnight on the last Thursday of the month, showed that this had increased from

1,995 people on December 30th 2010 to 3,929 on 29th

December 2016.

The

last time the snapshot fell directly on Christmas was 2015 when 3,155 spent

Christmas Eve stuck in hospital.

Barbara

Keeley MP, Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Minister for Social Care, said:

“The

shocking rise in delayed transfers of care is directly attributable to the cuts

imposed by the Tory Government and will mean those needing care will have to

spend their Christmas stuck in hospital.

“Tory

cuts to local authorities since 2010 will have seen reductions in social care

budgets of £6.3 billion by March 2018 and a 26% drop in the numbers of older

people receiving publicly funded care – some 400,000 people.

“Families

of people with care needs will be concerned by the possibility of their

vulnerable relatives being stuck in hospital unnecessarily over Christmas

because of the lack of available care in their community.

“The

Tory Government offered no additional funding for social care in either the

Budget or the Local Government Finance Settlement. It is clear that only Labour

can ease this Tory social care crisis: Labour would invest £8 billion across

the Parliament with £1 billion pledged this year to offer more publicly-funded

care services.”