Wales’s health and social care sector is facing extreme strain. Since 1999, we have seen 4,277 daily NHS Wales beds lost. Forty elderly care homes in Wales closed between 2020 and 2023, with only four opening.
Janet Finch-Saunders, the Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy, has raised serious concerns about the state of social care in Wales.
Commenting on this, Janet said:
“The loss of care homes and care workers, due to certain qualification requirements, is placing serious strain on our vital care sector. I am regularly contacted by constituents stating that they, or their family members, are unable to leave hospital after treatment because there is no agreement for a care home to take them.
“This, along with seeing passionate, hardworking, skilled carers leaving the sector due to the financial and time constraints involved in obtaining certain levels of qualifications, is deeply concerning.
“Research conducted by Christie & Co shows that there could be a loss of as many as 10,000 beds in Wales over the next decade, which is shocking.
“Today, I will call on the First Minister to commit to increasing the number of social care beds available in Wales and to supporting our carers.”
ENDS
Photo: Janet Finch-Saunders MS/AS
