South Lakes MP Tim Farron is calling for the Government to take action on the “growing staffing crisis” in social care after it was revealed that the number of care homes has fallen by almost a third.
New figures from the House of Commons Library show the number of care homes in the county has dropped by 32% since 2015 from 213 down to 145.
The fall for Cumbria is over three times higher than the national average in England which has seen a 10% reduction in beds.
Meanwhile, the number of beds in Cumbria has dropped by more than one in five, down from 5,839 to 4,363.
Parliamentary constituencies in Cumbria made up three of the five areas with the biggest drop in care home beds – Penrith and the Border 2nd (-318 beds), Copeland 3rd (-309 beds) and Mr Farron’s Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency 5th (-297 beds).
Mr Farron is tabling a Written Parliamentary Question to the Health Secretary Sajid Javid to ask what he will be doing to support Cumbria’s “struggling” social care sector.
“We know that social care in this country is under enormous pressure but these figures reveal just how desperate the situation has become,” said Mr Farron.
“While of course there has been a move in recent years for people to be cared for at home, the staffing crisis in the sector is leading to some care homes being left with no choice but to close their doors.
“With a growing elderly population, it should greatly concern us all that our loved ones might not receive the care that they deserve – despite the best efforts of those working on the frontline.
“The Government are hiking the National Insurance contributions of working people from April but have yet to give any clear indication of whether this money will be used to support Cumbria’s struggling social care sector.
“Local social care staff are on their knees – it’s high time the Government acted.”
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