Weekend cold snap could put ‘unprecedented strain’ on ‘under-funded’ services Severe winter weather this weekend could put ‘chronically under-funded’ health and social care services under ‘unprecedented strain’, councils fear. Temperatures are forecast to fall to 2°C in the Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber, the North East and North West from Friday, with the possibility of widespread ice or heavy snow. Severe weather is also thought to be on the way for South East England, the South West and London. Councils are raising numbers of social workers in hospitals and ensuring staff work seven days a week alongside health colleagues to ensure people are receiving the care they require. However the Local Government Association (LGA) today said the cold snap was likely to raise pressure on services already dealing with insufficient funding. ‘The LGA has long warned that the health and social care system is chronically under-funded and this cold weather is likely to place it under even more strain,’ Cllr Izzi Seccombe, chair of the LGAs community wellbeing board, said. ‘It is social care services that support elderly and vulnerable people to maintain their independence, live in their own community and stay out of hospital longer which is why investing in social care is a crucial part in alleviating the pressures on the health service. Investing extra money in the NHS whilst forcing councils to cut their social care budgets is simply a false economy and will not solve this ever-growing problem.’ The Met Office has warned of a 90% probability of severe cold weather or icy conditions over this weekend in parts of England, anticipating widespread overnight frost in the coming five days. Public Health England has also issued a weather warning across large parts of England. An average of 24,000 deaths occur in England every year as a result of cold temperatures, with most aged over 75. Dr Angie Bone of the Extreme Events team at Public Health England said: ‘Cold does kill, even in places where the temperatures aren’t at their lowest. Most of our advice on keeping warm in cold weather may seem like common sense, but it’s important that we make the point that people should think about how cold can affect them.’ The think tank also highlighted that those leaving the care system were now twice as likely not to be in education, employment or training at the age of 19 than the national average. ‘Many parts of the care system are in tatters and we desperately need to rescue it to protect our most vulnerable children,’ Burghart added.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 12:08:29 +0000
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