Social care is 'a scandal on a massive scale'

A man who has spent almost a decade campaigning for better social care believes the situation is worse than when he started, branding it "a scandal on a massive scale".

John Sibley, who became a hospital governor after his mum, Iris, was stuck in hospital for seven months waiting for a care home bed, said: "We don't value our old people."

It's estimated every day there are about 400 people in the Bristol Royal Infirmary and Southmead Hospital who have no clinical need to be there, though numbers fluctuate.

The local integrated care board says it is working to provide more care at home and in the community.

Iris Sibley was admitted to Bristol Royal Infirmary in 2017 following a fall in which she broke her leg.

After the residential care home she had been residing in said they could no longer meet her needs, it took seven months to find a place in a nursing home.

Iris was placed in her own room for the majority of her stay.

"She was, in effect, homeless," said John.

"During that time she lost the ability to walk, and her dementia deteriorated rapidly. My father insisted on going to visit her every day and it was a real strain on the whole family."

Iris's situation was resolved after John contacted the media out of desperation. He went on to become a hospital governor, a volunteer role that helps to guide how services are run.

"I got involved then, because I thought 'what about all the other people?'," John said. "I thought it shouldn't happen to anybody else".

"But the situation has actually got worse. There are more and more people stuck in hospital.

"I've spent the last 10 years bringing this to people's attention and in a way I feel I've let my mum down. I feel like I've failed a bit really, but it's not for want of trying."

Iris's care package was funded by Bristol City Council once a placement had been found, but the home she was placed in has since been turned into flats.

A recent council report said the adult social care market in Bristol remains "exceptionally challenging", but said local providers have shown "a notable degree of resilience" in the light of rising costs.

NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board said there has been a 34% increase in people receiving packages of care at home since 2022.

"There are less places available," John said. "The focus now seems to be on getting people back in their own home, but not everybody can do that."

A spokesperson for the ICB said: "In line with the NHS national 10 Year Plan, we are committed to moving more care out of hospitals and into community settings and people's homes, in order to support faster discharge, faster recovery and better patient outcomes.

"Over the last five years, the ICB has invested £66m in community services to support this shift and will be investing further in coming years, with an additional £14 million allocated to community services in 2026/27."

A government spokesperson told the BBC: "We are addressing the adult social care sector's urgent need for support with over £4.6bn additional funding available for adult social care in 2028-29 compared to 2025-26.

"We are committed to building a National Care Service and Baroness Casey's Independent Commission will deliver its phase 1 recommendations this year to address immediate priorities for adult social care."