More than 14000 Gloucestershire residents denied care Max Wilkinson MP calls for solution
Summary
Cheltenham MP Max Wilkinson has called for a cross-party solution to social care. The Liberal Democrat has demanded that we “finally do things differently”, as analysis from the Liberal Democrats reveals how many older and disabled adults in Cheltenham are being denied the care they need.
Details
New analysis by the party shows that 9,170 older people in Gloucestershire were denied care in 2024/25, along with 4,495 disabled working age adults. The Liberal Democrats have set out three tests for new Prime Minister Andy Burnham on social care reforms, and warned that a failure to act will be a catastrophe for families, the NHS and local services.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey this week met with Andy Burnham to begin cross-party talks on solving the crisis, following years of campaigning by the party for politicians to come together to find consensus on this issue. The Liberal Democrat tests for reforms to end the social care crisis are: 1.
Put family carers front and centre with guaranteed rights for every carer, including respite care and an overhaul of the Carer’s Allowance so families can afford to care. 2. A universal safety net of care, including free personal care.
3. Protect people from catastrophic costs so no family sees their finances devastated by care needs. There has been a major knock-on effect on the NHS, with record numbers now stuck in hospitals who are medically fit to be discharged.
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Party analysis has found that 2.46m hospital bed days have been lost to delayed discharges so far in 2026, higher than the equivalent period for any previous year. Max Wilkinson said: “Every week in Cheltenham, I speak to families who have reached breaking point. Too many people are being left isolated and unsupported without the care they need.
The crisis in social care is a millstone around the neck of our community. It’s clobbering families in Cheltenham, squeezing budgets for our local council services and undermining our NHS. “There have been 22 failed attempts to fix social care in the last few decades.
We have to do things differently this time. Liberal Democrats want to work across the party divide in order to find a lasting solution to this crisis. “My priorities are clear: family carers must be at the heart of any proposals, everyone in Cheltenham should be able to get care regardless of means, and no one should lose their home or life savings on catastrophic care costs.”
What You Need to Know
Put family carers front and centre with guaranteed rights for every carer, including respite care and an overhaul of the Carer’s Allowance so families can afford to care. 2. A universal safety net of care, including free personal care.
Report source: Punchline Gloucester