Social Care Budget Changes

Wednesday 4th December 2013 Ministerial Corrections

The following is the answer given by the Minister of State, Department of Health, the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb), to the hon. Member for North Tyneside (Mrs Glindon) during Health Question Time on 26 November 2013.

[Mrs Glindon]

In the first two years of this Government, there was a frightening 66% increase in the number of people aged 90 and over coming into accident and emergency in a blue-light ambulance. When will the Minister accept that cuts to elderly care have increased pressure on the NHS, and are a major cause of the A and E crisis?

[Norman Lamb]

First, it is worth us all recognising that there is an increase in the number of frail elderly people in our society living with chronic conditions and that that is putting additional pressure on accident and emergency departments. The numbers have increased by over a million a year since 2010. However, the fact that there has been a reduction of 50,000 in the number of delayed discharges demonstrates that the social care system is doing incredibly well, and we should pay tribute to social care workers across the system who are doing so well to ensure that that improvement is taking place.

[Official Report, 26 November 2013, Vol. 571, c. 148.]

Letter of correction from Norman Lamb:

An error has been identified in an oral answer given to the hon. Member for North Tyneside (Mrs Glindon) on 26 November 2013.

The correct answer should have been:

[Norman Lamb]

First, it is worth us all recognising that there is an increase in the number of frail elderly people in our society living with chronic conditions and that that is putting additional pressure on accident and emergency departments. The numbers attending A and E have increased by over a million since 2010. However, the fact that there has been a reduction of 50,000 in the number of delayed discharges demonstrates that the social care system is doing incredibly well, and we should pay tribute to social care workers across the system who are doing so well to ensure that that improvement is taking place.