Help us Save the NHS & Social Care in Slough
"Every vote for a local Lib Dem candidate is a vote for better funding for the NHS. Lib Dem plans to tackle the social care crisis and give a better deal for carers (paid and voluntary) will greatly help the NHS".
These are some of the key messages from the Slough Lib Dems' manifesto for the Slough Council elections on May 4th.
Slough Liberal Democrats' Chair, Matthew Taylor, photographed with Frank O'Kelly, his fellow candidate for the two seats up for election in the new Cippenham Village Ward, said:
"Both nationally and locally the Lib Dems are committed to providing a better deal for our health and care services. Please let us know urgently if you would like to be considered as a Lib Dem candidate in the elections to bring change on Slough Council. Email me on info@sloughlibdems.org.uk "
The full Lib Dem manifesto will be published on our website shortly, but below we include extracts from our draft section on Health, Social Care and Wellbeing."
HEALTH, SOCIAL CARE & WELLBEING
Background:
The health and social care systems are facing a massive crisis across the country which, despite the fantastic work by many staff, has been made much worse by:
a) Tories underfunding the NHS & social care staff & facilities for years;
b) Tories failing to introduce the widely supported reforms to social care; and
c) Tories promoting a Brexit policy that has added to the staff shortages.
Social services & public health are the areas most directly controlled by local councils. Slough is facing many additional problems because of the failures and debts of the Labour-run Council. The big cuts in staffing and services are being made by Labour councillors to pay for their financial mismanagement of Slough Council. Problems in the social care system are not only bad for the residents concerned, but also cause problems for local hospitals by reducing the beds available for those who need them.
More broadly, Councils can play a positive role in helping to facilitate the actions of groups that boost cultural life, as very widely defined, and thereby improving wellbeing. The many cultural, community & sporting activities in Slough provide opportunities for people to primarily get together and build connections through a range of activities.
Slough Lib Dems demands and action to improve health, social care and wellbeing:
A) Tackle the NHS crisis:
Lib Dems demand additional Government funding for the NHS. Every vote for a local Lib Dem candidate is a vote for better funding for the NHS and especially for services such as mental health, dentistry, ambulances and others that face particularly acute problems. Greater involvement of patients in their treatments, and relevant communications with them. Lib Dem plans to tackle the social care crisis and give a better deal for carers (paid and voluntary) will greatly help the NHS: see below
B) Tackle the social care crisis & give carers a better deal - the Lib Dem plan:
1. Increase pay for carers to boost staff recruitment & retention & tackle staff shortages;
2. Provide more support & recognition for voluntary carers, including respite care & an increased allowance;
3. Reduce the number of people going into care homes & accelerate discharge from hospitals by:
i) Free Personal Care in England along the lines Lib Dems got introduced in Scotland;
ii) increasing the number of paid & voluntary carers in the community through the increased pay, allowances & respite care; &
iii) expanding services that help people retain or regain their skills and confidence so they can learn to manage again after a period of illness (called reablement);
4. Encourage EU citizens working in our vital services to remain in the UK, & campaign for the UK to rejoin the single market as soon as possible which would further ease the staff shortages in the health and social care services.
C) Specific policies in Slough
A rapid inquiry into the effects of cuts already introduced in social services for vulnerable residents by Slough's Labour councillors. These cuts are reported to have seriously reduced the support received by some residents, and questions have been raised about the way in which options were put to residents in the consultation about the cuts.
The results of our proposed inquiry into Slough Council's cuts in social services to be used as a way of informing and improving any future consultations on services: did the previous consultations mislead some residents about the consequences of proposed money-saving reforms?
Greater action by Slough Council to press for better public consultation and communications by the local health services, e.g. many residents in Cippenham faced months of uncertainty over the future of the Weekes Drive GP surgery.
No more creeping privatisation of local services: NHS nurses and health visitors based at Upton Hospital learnt in July 2017 that Slough's Labour-run Council had given the contract to run the services they provided for young people to a private company. This took the services out of our NHS.
Better coordination of health and leisure services in Slough, including further action by Slough Council to support & work with the efforts of local sports clubs & charities to encourage higher rates of physical activity in Slough. For example, the Council should always attempt to work cooperatively with local community sports clubs where possible rather than using the resources available to promote their own new initiatives. In recent years Slough Council has often had a poor record in supporting local sporting clubs, and the town has a significantly lower than average physical activity levels compared to other English local authorities, including in recently available figures.
The council could also sometimes do more to support groups and individuals who want to initiate cultural, community & sports groups for others.