Tim Farron challenges Health Secretary to tackle Cumbria’s care workforce crisis

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has urged the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, to introduce more support to help recruit and retain more care workers in Cumbria.

Last week, the Government announced that proposals for the long-term funding and major reform of social care in England may not be delivered until 2028.

Speaking in Parliament this afternoon, Tim said: “One in five social care jobs in Cumbria are currently unfilled, and the consequences are unbearable for those who are vulnerable; indeed, they are causing pressure on the rest of the NHS. 

“Will the Secretary of State look carefully at the specific needs of rural communities such as ours, where it is so much harder to recruit and retain social care workers?”

Responding, Wes Streeting said: “I was in Cumbria recently, and I was struck by the fact that the care home I visited in Carlisle is delivering great intermediate care for the NHS at half the price of a hospital bed - a really good example of how social care often delivers better value and better care. 

“However, the honourable gentleman is right about the recruitment challenges. We are determined to work with local training providers and the local university to make sure that we recruit social care workers, grow our own in Cumbria and keep them in Cumbria.”