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“This invaluable report provides further evidence of the immediate difficulties councils and care providers are facing in delivering care and support. Demand for services is increasing, budgets are not stretching as far, unpaid carers are facing further strains, and recruitment and retention remain huge challenges."

"These new figures show there is still much to do to encourage healthier eating and habits if we are to avoid the children living with obesity today becoming the adults living with obesity tomorrow. "

This strategy presents an opportunity to address and improve women’s health, making sure all women’s voices are heard and inequalities are understood and addressed. However, long term sustainable funding and a real terms increase in the public health budget are required.

We have been calling for higher pay for social care staff for many years, to guarantee workers get properly compensated for the critical work that they do and to retain and encourage more talent into the workforce. Social care certainly does need a “rescue package” to deliver an increase in pay for staff, a long-term workforce plan, increased overall investment in adult social care.

Councils are extremely concerned about the current pressures facing social care and the capacity and financial resources required to deliver the Government’s reform agenda.

"These figures act as a truly tragic reminder of how many people, including those who are older and vulnerable, have lost their lives during the pandemic, leaving behind family and friends in mourning."

"This funding for supporting patient discharges from hospitals will be significant over the winter months. We are pleased to see the importance of social care being recognised in improving this service, but it is vital to remember that social care has huge value to people’s lives in its own right."

“Councils are working to support children and families to live healthy lives and reduce pressure on other public services, from health visitors supporting new parents to weight management services and subsidised leisure facilities, but more needs to be done, especially to reduce the gap between the most and least deprived."

"These new statistics, revealing that we are still not reaching the WHO 95 per cent targets for vaccination coverage, are particularly concerning and also show considerable regional disparities."

New analysis by the Local Government Association reveals a growing number of “dental deserts” across the country with more deprived or rural local authority areas having fewer NHS dentists than those in more affluent urban areas.