Welsh Liberal Democrat response to Swansea Bay escalation

• The Welsh Liberal Democrats have said the crisis declared by Swansea Bay University Health Board is further proof that Wales’ NHS cannot be fixed without urgent action on social care.
• In Powys, under Welsh Liberal Democrat council leadership, hospital discharge delays have been cut by a third after funding secured by Jane Dodds MS in last year’s budget negotiations was used to recruit more social care staff.

Responding to the health board declaring its highest level of escalation for the second time in a week, Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said:

“When hospitals are full and patients are stuck in beds because the care they need at home isn’t available, that is a social care failure as much as an NHS one.

“What we are seeing in Swansea Bay is exactly what happens when social care is underfunded and overstretched – hospital backlogs, delayed discharges and staff pushed to breaking point.

“Labour has run social care in Wales into the ground, and the consequences are now being felt in hospitals like Morriston and Singleton.

“The lesson is clear: fixing social care fixes the NHS. Wales needs sustained investment in community and social care, not endless crisis management once hospitals are already full.”

Sam Bennett, Welsh Liberal Democrat Swansea councillor and Senedd candidate for Gŵyr Abertawe, said:

“People across Swansea are seeing the impact of social care shortages every day, whether that’s loved ones stuck in hospital or pressure on frontline staff. Investing properly in care isn’t optional, it’s essential if we want our local hospitals to cope, and it will be my priority should I be elected to the Senedd this May.”