Proposed by Cllr Sophie Thornton, seconded by Cllr Will Sapwell
This Council notes:
- (a) that the NHS and social care system face multiple crises of access, staff retention, long waiting times, missed targets and poor outcomes
- (b) that people across Sheffield are struggling to access health and care services
- (c) that in 2023, almost 900,000 GP appointments in Sheffield took place more than two weeks after booking, representing 24 per cent of all appointments that year
- (d) that despite this, primary care providers have not been given the funding to employ more GPs, leaving qualified doctors facing unemployment
- (e) that there is a national dentistry crisis as increasing numbers of practitioners leave the NHS
- (f) that short staffing of Sheffield Adult Autism and Neurodivergent Service (SAANS) is causing astronomical wait times for ADHD assessments
- (g) that the Adult Health and Social Care and Education, Children and Families Policy Committees face significant pressure to continue to deliver savings in 2024/25 in the context of increasing demand for services
- (h) that the Adult Health and Social Care Policy Committee overspend in 2023/24 was greatly reduced by one-off government funding, with no guarantee that this will continue in 2024/25
- (i) that difficulty accessing services increases pressure on acute care such as Accident & Emergency as well as undermining overall population health
- (j) that both The King’s Fund and the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care have acknowledged the positive vision the Liberal Democrats have for social care reform and that cross-party working is the only way to achieve this.
This Council advocates for:
- (k) cross-party collaboration both locally through the Health and Wellbeing Board and nationally through a long-term agreement on funding and provision of social care.
This Council resolves to call for:
- (i) the establishment of a cross-party commission to forge a long-term agreement on predictable, consistent funding for free personal care
- (ii) the immediate review of Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme funding rules so that primary care providers in Sheffield can employ extra GPs
- (iii) an Emergency Health and Care Budget to put this national crisis at the top of the new government’s agenda
- (m) request the Chief Executive to convey these calls to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.