York council social care call amid warnings over carers

Sharron Smith, chief executive of York Carers Centre, said people looking after loved ones increasingly had no lives of their own, with some reporting experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Cllr Jo Coles, Labour ward member for Westfield, said the state of social care was the biggest issue facing York Council as she welcomed national efforts to look into changes.

But opposition Liberal Democrat Cllr Ian Cuthbertson said the council’s record on adult social care was concerning and Conservative Cllr Chris Steward said a Labour call for action lacked substance.

It comes as councillors backed a call to support the Government’s Big Conversion on Care which is looking at the future of services in England.

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Cllr Coles’ motion stated it came amid rising demand for care, a forecast rise in dementia, increasingly complex needs and a high turnover and difficulties recruiting workers.

Ms Smith said action was needed now to deal with the pressures carers and families are facing.

She added they needed help before they reached crisis point.

Ms Smith said: “The growing need for care is one of the greatest challenges facing us as a nation.

“For many years, carers were described as ‘unsung heroes’, saving the economy billions of pounds and providing support that would otherwise fall on already stretched public services.

The Government is conducting a review into adult social care (Image: Pixabay)

“However, what we are increasingly seeing is something much more troubling.

“We are seeing carers with no life of their own, we hear from carers who are experiencing suicidal thoughts.

“We hear from carers who are exhausted, isolated and at breaking point.

“This is not sustainable.”

Cllr Coles said the work of unpaid carers was supporting council services which would otherwise collapse under the strain of the pressure facing them.

She added calls to go further with proposals to adopt targets and aims for care in York were not possible without extra funding and counter-productive in some cases.

Cllr Coles said: “Many receive the care they need from other family members who never never chose a career in care but just chose to look after someone they love.

“The work that carers do isn’t glamourous, it’s low paid, physically demanding but emotionally incredibly skilled.

“It isn’t an abstract line in a budget, it’s dignity, independence and can mean a couple being able to stay together at home in York.”

Cllr Cuthbertson, of Haxby and Wigginton ward, said the rating of the council’s adult social care services as ‘requires improvement’ had to be recognised.

Cllr Carol Runciman, the opposition group’s health spokesperson, said the call also came as no replacement had yet been brought in for the Dial & Ride service axed in December 2023.

The Liberal Democrat said: “We can’t talk about the importance of abstract principles while cutting the services that make this possible.”

Conservative group leader Cllr Steward said the Labour motion lacked any tangible ideas to improve social care locally.

His group called for guaranteed assessments within 28 days, home adaptations within 10 days, yearly health and wellbeing checks, hospital discharges within 48 hours and digital access to care cases.

Cllr Steward said: “The Labour motion is empty and does nothing on its own.”