Sheffield Liberal Democrats call to declare a Health and Social Care Emergency

Liberal Democrats used the July Full Council meeting to call for urgent cross-party action and to declare a health and care emergency in Sheffield. 

Across the city, there are numerous services facing breaking point as people struggle to access the care they need. Liberal Democrat Councillors highlighted how people face difficulties in seeing a dentist or a GP, and how qualified doctors themselves are struggling to find employment due to financial pressures across primary care providers. They also pushed for urgency over the astronomical wait times for ADHD assessments due to short staffing in the Sheffield Adult Autism and Neurodevelopmental Service. This comes after the Liberal Democrats put health and care at the heart of their General Election manifesto, whilst Labour failed to mention either social care or dentistry in the King’s Speech.

The motion proposed by Liberal Democrat councillors acknowledged these citywide crises. It also noted that there were significant budget overspends by policy committees that oversee health and social care for adults and children. Under the new government there is no guarantee that funding will be available to help cash-strapped councils tackle this emergency. 

In Sheffield, councillors called for greater cross-party collaboration locally and nationally. In the meeting, the Lib Dems had also asked for a review of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS)  – which has made it harder for Sheffield GP practices to employ doctors, leaving some qualified GPs unemployed. However, the Labour group voted to remove this from the motion.

 Sophie Thornton, Councillor for Beauchief and Greenhill ward, said:

“We all need to come together cross-party, nationally and locally, to fix our country’s broken health and care service. What concerns me deeply is how the overspend in Adult Health and Social Care in the Council was largely offset by one-off grant funding. There is no guarantee this lifeline will be available in the future. We urgently need the government to commit to long-term, predictable and sustainable funding for services, so they can provide reassurance, support and care for those who need them most. Unfortunately, Labour didn’t include any legislation addressing the social care crisis in the King’s Speech.  We are pleased the members of Sheffield City Council have stepped up to the plate.” 

Dr Will Sapwell, Councillor for Stannington ward, said:

“Members of the public can’t get a timely appointment with their GP, and yet we have fully qualified GPs struggling to find work. The money is there, fixing the issue comes down to political will. We won’t tolerate talk with no action.”

Sheffield Labour clearly lack that will, but the Lib Dems agree with the Health Secretary that something needs to be done.”

ENDS