Winter NHS crises will keep on coming until social care is dealt with

This is a testament to the hard work of doctors, nurses and support staff, who delivered a record 18 million procedures during 2024.

But the bad news is that waiting times at A & E continue to get worse. Latest figures show that, last month, a record number of people waiting more than 12 hours after being admitted to A & E before receiving care.

To reinforce these concerns, the news comes as delayed discharge for patients deemed fit enough to leave hospital hit another winter high.

This has become a familiar problem. Faced with growing demands from an ageing population, cash-strapped local authorities have struggled for the best part of two decades to cope with the rising cost of adult social care. Government after government has kicked the problem into the long grass, fearful of telling people they will need to pay more for their old age

The latest figures are truly appalling. How can it be acceptable that in Walsall, for example, 83.5 per cent of patients are kept in hospital for longer than needs to be the case? While Wolverhampton and Shropshire fare a little better, well over half of patients are still languishing in hospital beds when they are ready to go home. Questions also need to be asked about why patients in Walsall are twice as likely to be unnecessarily detained than they are in Sandwell or Dudley.

This is not only bad news for patients, it is also poor use of resource. Yes, money needs to be invested in social care, but this is surely less costly than leaving patients well enough to go home in expensive and much-needed hospital beds.

We understand why ministers still smarting from the backlash of the cuts to Winter Fuel Payments and tax rises in the Budget, are nervous about committing more funds to local councils.

But the situation is rapidly reaching breaking point. Until the Government has the courage to grasp the nettle, we can only see the situation getting worse.