Health Secretary on NHS challenges in Cumbria
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting has spoken about the challenges and pressures facing the NHS in Cumbria as he set out the Government's long-term vision to reform social care.
It comes as ministers announced the first steps to creating a National Care Service, with an independent commission expected to begin work this spring.
When asked about the pressures seen in the NHS this winter, Streeting spoke of the challenges faced by many A&E departments throughout the country, including in Cumbria.
He said: "I think people have seen throughout this winter, particularly across Cumbria pressures in our emergency departments.
"There are people on trolleys in corridors, I will be off to the West Cumberland Hospital later today to talk through the pressures with the staff. I think the winter crisis we see in the NHS is exactly why we need to grasp the nettle of big long term reforms to social care that is needed because as well as our 10 year plan for the NHS we also need to reform our social care.
"One of the reasons why we see A&E departments so busy is because we can’t get people out of hospital beds and back into the community because of a lack of social care. That is why this government is doing things differently."
Streeting said the pressures seen in the NHS this winter is why his Government is making changes to social care.
He said: "The crisis we have seen in our NHS this winter, not just in Cumbria but right across the country is exactly why this government is taking the big reform decisions now to help our NHS and social care services.
"Whether that is the huge injection of funding in the budget or specific measures like the disabled facilities grant. There are lots we are doing right now but we have also got to make the right long term reform decisions on the NHS and on social care.
"By the end of this parliament I think people will see Britain in a better place than the Labour Government found it when we came in but I also think we will have established the right long term plan for the country.
"People will judge us on results, we know that and we are determined to deliver."
As part of the announcement today, Streeting has provided an extra £86 million to the disabled facilities grant.
He said: "Today we are announcing an uplift in the disabled facilities grant of £86 million.
"We announced the uplift in the budget in April but we are announcing that extra cash right now to help people. We are going to see the success of this with one family in Carlisle and we are releasing that cash to benefit people right across the country."
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