Response to chancellor’s spending round

Responding to the chancellor’s spending round, Leonard Cheshire CEO Neil Heslop said:

'The additional £1 billion pledged for social care, on top of the £500 million from social care precepts, will help a system at breaking point.

'But we all need to recognise it only buys time and does not fix the problem. With demand set to rise by almost 4% a year, this will not provide relief for long.

'The prime minister promised to fix social care and those of us whose lives depend on decent care- approximately half of whom are working-age disabled adults- need him to keep his promise and deliver fair, long-term sustainable reforms as a matter of urgency.

'Our existing system simply does not work; more than half of disabled people tell us they don’t receive the care they need and the NHS continues to bear the brunt of the care shortfall.

'We desperately need our political leaders of all parties to do their duty now by working closely with disabled people to find a real solution. Brexit may seem all-encompassing, but the social care timebomb is ticking.'