‘It feels like we don’t exist’: The human cost of social care cuts

Published

2 months ago

January 27, 2025

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Angela Carson struggles to pull the damp laundry out of her washing machine. Her hands are so weak she can barely stop them from shaking.

The 65-year-old places the wet clothes onto her lap and slowly moves herself in a wheelchair through the small kitchen to another room, so they can dry.

Angela suffers from the lingering after-effects of a rare condition, Guillain-Barre syndrome, that attacks her nerves. It means she struggles to walk without two sticks by her side. Her husband Graham, who is in a motorised wheelchair, can only look on.

The 67-year-old was born with the muscle-wasting disease muscular dystrophy and now has limited movements – just in his hands – to operate the chair.

For the last seven years, the pair have relied on carers to come into their home several times a day to help with their everyday needs, including getting Graham in and out of bed using a hoist, personal hygiene, and preparing meals.

It was a week before Christmas when they received the devastating news: their local council was cancelling all of Angela’s care, and reducing Graham’s support. The decision was non-negotiable and came as a big shock to them both.

“They just said it was being stopped,” says Angela tearfully. “They said it was to promote independence. But I don’t see how, when I can’t do the things they say I can do.”

The council says Angela can prepare meals, walk, and shop – tasks she says are a struggle.

‘Urgent action needed’

A few weeks earlier, their local authority, West Lothian Council, issued a downbeat but honest public statement about its finances, saying that the crisis facing councils was of a “magnitude never experienced” and that “urgent action” was needed.

Graham and Angela’s care is paid for by the council. It posted on Facebook about having an £8.1m overspend, fuelled in part by rising social care costs. It said it needs to make savings.

Not long after, social workers knocked on the door of Graham and Angela’s bungalow in Livingston to review their care package. The council said these reviews are done annually and are based on need, not cost.

A spokesperson for the West Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership said: “This process is critical to monitor the progress and effectiveness of the care being provided to individuals and ensures that assessed and essential care needs are met.”

They added: “A consistent and fair approach is applied when reviewing or assessing an individual’s care, with any changes to a care plan being made on the basis of assessed need and not to address financial pressures. “

‘Social care is broken’

But Angela and Graham aren’t so sure.

“The social care system is broken”, says Graham.

“The council has overspent by millions of pounds. They’re cutting back and it’s hard to see it any other way.”

Graham is right – councils are struggling to pay for social care. This financial pressure means the demand for care has outstripped the ability to provide it.

In England, 2.6 million people over 50 cannot currently access the care they need, according to the charity Age UK. Social care is devolved – the governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all spend more per capita on social care than the Westminster government spends in England.

In response to Graham and Angela’s situation, the Scottish government said it “understands the importance of social care support for those who need help living independently and we know the concerns changes to these services cause”.

It acknowledged that while it has overall control of social care, it is up to local authorities to ensure people have the right support.

A Sky News survey of homecare providers across England, Scotland and Wales indicates a worrying trend of cuts to these vital services in the last two years.

Of the care providers who responded, 83% told Sky News their local council had cut the number of care packages. And 81% of care providers in the survey said councils had cut the number of hours they’re willing to fund, suggesting carers spend less time in people’s homes.

‘We’ve really got to crack on’

The UK government has published plans to reform the social care system, aiming to establish a National Care Service designed to bring it closer to the National Health Service.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting announced the formation of an independent commission, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, to develop comprehensive proposals for organising and funding social care. Her full recommendations are expected in 2028.

When Sky News asked Mr Streeting about why the survey of care providers indicates such worrying cuts when plans for reforms are years away, the minister said in Labour’s first six months in power “we’ve delivered the biggest expansion of carers allowance since the 1970s”.

“We’ve made sure that we’re delivering real improvements through the disabled facilities grants, people’s homes,” he added.

He also pointed to additional funding from the chancellor and said the first findings of the Casey Commission will come next year.

When pressed on what action is being taken to help people without care in their homes right now, Mr Streeting said: “I know we’ve really got to crack on.”

In response to the survey, Councillor David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said councils are acutely aware of the challenges facing social care providers.

“As of March 2024, over 400,000 older and disabled people were waiting for care to start, their care needs assessed, or direct payments. Without immediate government funding, vital services face significant risks, impacting those who rely on care and their families,” he said.

Dr Jane Townson, chief executive of the Homecare Association, says around half of care providers are operating at a loss, with many withdrawing from council contracts due to inadequate funding.

“The consequences are stark,” she said.

“Unlike other businesses in the economy, homecare providers cannot simply raise their prices. This is because almost 80% of homecare services are purchased by councils and the NHS, who fix fee rates.

“Ethical homecare providers want to reward care workers fairly and provide safe, good quality care. The government is making it more difficult to do so.

“This means older and disabled people face having their care reduced or stopped.”

Scotland’s National Care Service plan scrapped

Plans for a National Care Service in Scotland were well under way until last Thursday, when the government there said it would be scrapped.

More than £30m has already been spent on the policy over the last three years. It was one of the boldest public service reforms of the SNP’s 17 years in power.

Following the announcement, Conservative MSP Dr Sandesh Gulhane accused the government of being a “shower of charlatans”. He wrote on social media: “Let’s call this what it is: £30million of taxpayers’ money flushed down the drain by a government with a proven track record of failure.”

The reality for Angela is that no one is coming to care for her right now. She has to do everything herself.

“It is terrible. I go to bed and that’s all I can think about. I feel I don’t exist – that if I wasn’t here anymore it wouldn’t matter.”

The exclusive data in this article was collected via an online survey between 14-17 January sent to domiciliary care providers that are members of the Homecare Association, Scottish Care and Care Forum Wales. The survey went out to 2,650 home care providers in England, Scotland and Wales. There were 336 responses.

Have you been affected by cuts to social care? We’d like to hear from you. Email nick.martin@sky.uk

UK

Prince Harry visits war victims in Ukraine

Published

3 hours ago

April 10, 2025

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Prince Harry visits war victims in Ukraine

Prince Harry has visited war victims in Ukraine as part of his work with wounded veterans, a spokesperson has said.

The Duke of Sussex was in central London this week for a Court of Appeal hearing over his security arrangements in the UK.

The visit on Thursday to Lviv in western Ukraine, which has frequently been targeted with Russian missiles, was not announced until after he was out of the country.

Harry, who served 10 years in the British Army, visited the Superhumans Center, an orthopaedic clinic in Lviv that treats and rehabilitates wounded military personnel and civilians.

The prince, 40, was accompanied by a contingent from his Invictus Games Foundation, including four veterans who have been through similar rehabilitation experiences.

A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said Harry had been invited by the centre’s CEO, Olga Rudneva, a year ago, and at the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, which took place in February.

Harry travelled to the centre, which offers prosthetics, reconstructive surgery and psychological help free of charge, to see first-hand the support they provide at an active time of war.

The duke, who served two tours in Afghanistan, met patients and medical professionals while touring the centre, the spokesperson said.

During his trip to Ukraine, he also met members of the Ukrainian Invictus community, as well as Ukraine’s minister of veterans affairs, Natalia Kalmykova.

Helping wounded soldiers has been one of Harry’s most prominent causes, as he founded the Invictus Games in 2014 to offer wounded veterans the challenge of competing in sports events similar to the Paralympics.

Harry is the second member of the royal family to visit Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbour in February 2022.

His aunt, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, made an unannounced visit to Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv last year.

UK

Starmer says government will fund further local grooming gangs inquiries if ‘needed’

Published

3 hours ago

April 10, 2025

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Starmer says government will fund further local grooming gangs inquiries if 'needed'

The government will fund any further local inquiries into the grooming gangs scandal that are deemed necessary, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

However, the prime minister said it is his “strong belief” that the focus must be on implementing recommendations from the Alexis Jay national review before more investigations go ahead.

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It follows a row over whether Labour is still committed to the five local inquiries it promised in January, after safeguarding minister Jess Phillips failed to provide an update on them in a statement to parliament hours before it closed for recess on Tuesday.

Instead, Ms Phillips told MPs that local authorities will be able to access a £5m fund to support locally-led work on grooming gangs.

On Thursday morning, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper insisted the “victim-centred, locally-led inquiries” will still go ahead, while a Home Office source told Sky News more could take place in addition to the five.

Speaking to Sky News’ Rob Powell later on Thursday, Sir Keir confirmed that there could be more inquiries than those five but said the government must also “get on and implement the recommendations we’ve already got”.

The prime minister said: “Of course, if there’s further local inquiries that are needed then we will put some funding behind that, and they should happen.

“But I don’t think that simply saying we need more inquiries when we haven’t even acted on the ones that we’ve had is necessarily the only way forward.”

Ms Phillips’s earlier comments led to accusations that the government was diluting the importance of the local inquiries by giving councils choice over how to use the funds.

Sky News understands she was due to host a briefing with MPs this afternoon at 5pm – the second she had held in 24 hours – in an attempt to calm concern amongst her colleagues.

Review recommendations ‘sat on a shelf’

Sir Keir insisted he is not watering down his commitment for the five local enquiries, but said the Jay recommendations were “sitting on a shelf under the last government” and he is “equally committed” to them.

He added: “At the most important level, if there is evidence of grooming that is coming to light now, we need a criminal investigation. I want the police investigation because I want perpetrators in the dock and I want justice delivered.”

In October 2022, Professor Alexis Jay finished a seven-year national inquiry into the many ways children in England and Wales had been sexually abused, including grooming gangs.

Girls as young as 11 were groomed and raped across a number of towns and cities in England over a decade ago.

Prof Jay made 20 recommendations which haven’t been implemented yet, with Sir Keir saying on Thursday he will bring 17 of them forward.

However, the Tories and Reform UK want the government to fund a new national inquiry specifically into grooming gangs, demands for which first started last year after interventions by tech billionaire Elon Musk on his social media platform X.

‘Fuelling confusion’

Reform leader Nigel Farage said the statement made by Ms Phillips “was one of the most cowardly things I have ever seen” as he repeated calls for a fresh inquiry.

Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, also told Sky News that ministers were “fuelling confusion” and that the “mess.. could have been avoided if the government backed a full national inquiry – not this piecemeal alternative”.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the government needed to look at “state failings” and she would try and force a fresh vote on holding another national inquiry, which MPs voted down in January.

‘Political mess’

As well as facing criticism from the Opposition, there are signs of a backlash within Labour over how the issue has been handled.

Labour MPs angry with government decision grooming gangs

Mhari Aurora

Political correspondent

@MhariAurora

With about an hour until the House of Commons rose for Easter recess, the government announced it was taking a more “flexible” approach to the local grooming gang inquiries.

Safeguarding minister Jess Philips argued this was based on experience from certain affected areas, and that the government is funding new police investigations to re-open historic cases.

Speaking on Times Radio, former chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission Sir Trevor Phillips called the move “utterly shameful” and claimed it was a political decision.

One Labour MP told Sky News: “Some people are very angry. I despair. I don’t disagree with many of our decisions but we just play to Reform – someone somewhere needs sacking.”

The government has insisted party political misinformation was fanning the flames of frustration in Labour.

The government also said it was not watering down the inquiries and was actually increasing the action being taken.

But while many Labour MPs have one eye on Reform in the rearview mirror, any accusations of being soft on grooming gangs only provides political ammunition to their adversaries.

One Labour MP told Sky News the issue had turned into a “political mess” and that they were being called “grooming sympathisers”.

On the update from Ms Phillips on Tuesday, they said it might have been the “right thing to do” but that it was “horrible politically”.

“We are all getting so much abuse. It’s just political naivety in the extreme.”

‘We will leave no stone unturned’

Ms Phillips later defended her decision, saying there was “far too much party political misinformation about the action that is being taken when everyone should be trying to support victims and survivors”.

“We are funding new police investigations to re-open historical cases, providing national support for locally led inquiries and action, and Louise Casey… is currently reviewing the nature, scale and ethnicity of grooming gangs offending across the country,” she said.

“We will not hesitate to go further, unlike the previous government, who showed no interest in this issue over 14 years and did nothing to progress the recommendations from the seven-year national inquiry when they had the chance.

“We will leave no stone unturned in pursuit of justice for victims and will be unrelenting in our crackdown on sick predators and perpetrators who prey on vulnerable children.”

UK

Government should be ‘ashamed’ over grooming gangs inquiries confusion, says victim’s father

Published

3 hours ago

April 10, 2025

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Government should be 'ashamed' over grooming gangs inquiries confusion, says victim's father

The father of a grooming gang victim has told Sky News the government should be “ashamed” of itself over the confusion surrounding inquiries – accusing it of “messing around with survivors’ lives”.

Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips this week sparked fresh uncertainty over whether regional inquiries into grooming gangs – promised by the government in January – would go ahead.

Following two days of confusion, the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, insisted on Thursday that five local inquiries will take place – and hinted more could follow.

But her comments have done little to reassure Marlon West, whose daughter Scarlett was a victim of sexual exploitation in Manchester.

Ms Phillips’s statement in parliament on Tuesday – which sparked criticism after it failed to mention the reviews – left survivors “so disappointed”, he said.

The uncertainty “makes you dizzy because you get hope and think ‘I’m getting somewhere now’ then they do a U-turn as they’ve done twice this week”, Mr West continued.

“I think they should be ashamed of themselves,” he said. “The government now are messing around with survivors’ lives and campaigners like me.”

Throughout her ordeal, Scarlett has “been let down by the local authority, by social workers, by the police force,” he said. “With the government, she’s just been let down again. That’s what’s cruel.”

Mr West added he is “really disappointed” in the government’s decision to push forward with the five regional inquiries instead of a statutory, national one.

He pointed out that police officers and professionals can refuse to give evidence at regional inquiries, whereas national ones can compel them to do so.

“With a statutory inquiry, it’d be more like a [legal] setting,” Mr West said. “Professionals will not be allowed to refuse interviews. They have to attend.

“It needs to [be in a] legal arena where they are compelled to give evidence.”

His comments came as the prime minister said the government is focussing on implementing the “hundreds” of recommendations from previous inquiries into grooming gangs.

Sir Keir Starmer said: “My strong belief is we’ve got to implement those recommendations.

“At the moment, and under the last government, they just stacked up and sat on a shelf. So they need to be implemented.”

Both the prime minister and the home secretary have rejected claims the government’s pledge to hold “victim-centred, locally-led inquiries” is being “watered down”.

Asked by Sky News presenter Anna Jones if that was the case, Ms Cooper replied: “No, completely the opposite.

“What we’re doing is increasing the action we’re taking on this vile crime.”

Sir Keir separately said: “We put the money behind it. We’re not watering it down. We’re committed to that.

“But, I’m equally committed to implementing the recommendations that we’ve got.”