Liberal Democrats lead protest about health and social dangers

Deputy Leader Cllr Wendy Taylor to lead a debate asking Newcastle City Council to note that:

1) The health and social care system in England is facing unprecedented challenges and that failing to find a solution to this crisis puts some of the most vulnerable people at risk, particularly frail and elderly people in need of care services, disabled people who need support and people with long-term illnesses, particularly those suffering from mental ill health.

2) The emergency care system is on its knees, despite the huge efforts of staff who are struggling to cope with the intense demands being put upon them & that more than 40% of hospitals had to declare an alert in the first week of January because they were experiencing major problems caused by having too many patients and too few spare beds.

3) The scale of the crisis affecting emergency care systems has reached new heights, mainly due to a lack of investment in both social and acute health care beds, as well as emergency department staffing.

4) Concern has been raised about the impact that these pressures are placing on staff in the NHS and the care system.

5) The NHS is one of the lowest funded health services compared with other European countries.

6) GP services across England are under severe pressure due to a severe shortage of GPs and that the British Medical Association GP committee reports that eight in 10 practices say they are unable to provide safe care and one in three report unfilled vacancies.

7) Separate data suggests that almost every hospital in the UK is dangerously short of nurses.

8) The NHS currently welcomes and relies on numerous migrants from EU countries and that Brexit is likely to discourage them from staying in the UK and is likely to lead to further shortages of health professionals.

Council condemns the Government's recent attempt to blame GPs for the current crisis and notes with concern the pressures on GP services in Newcastle.

Council welcomes the progress made towards the integration of health and social care in Newcastle and the emphasis on preventing ill health through the public health agenda.

Council also welcomes the emphasis in the draft Sustainability and Transformation Plan on preventing ill health, but has serious concerns about the savings that the proposed changes are expected to achieve & whether it will be possible financially to make the suggested changes to improve patient care.

Council believes that:

1) Building a sustainable health and care system that can provide high-quality care can't be realised without putting aside party political point-scoring.

2) The public is sick and tired of the NHS and care system being treated like a political football.

3) Now is the time for the Government to start a national conversation involving the public, civic society, healthcare professionals, carers and other experts.

Council therefore supports the recently launched campaign to encourage the Government to establish a cross-party NHS and Care Convention to examine the future funding requirements of our cherished services and agree a new, long-term settlement to guarantee their sustainability for future generations and to ensure that this country has one of the best health and care systems in the world.

Council also welcomes the call from over 70 health and care organisations including Medical Royal Colleges, charities and trade unions for the Prime Minister to initiate a cross party process.

Council resolves to write to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to ask him to support a cross party convention, to provide the additional investment needed for health and social care to deal with the current crisis and to move towards a system that puts prevention of ill health at the top of the agenda and will fully integrate health and social care."