More than 5,000 elderly people in Wiltshire were denied the care they needed last year according to new analysis released by the Liberal Democrats.
The party says 5,015 older residents missed out on care during 2024/25, alongside 2,965 disabled adults of working age.
Liberal Democrat campaigner for Salisbury and South Wiltshire, Victoria Charleston, has described the social care system as being at “breaking point” and is calling for politicians from all parties to work together on long-term reforms.
Victoria Charleston said, “I hear too many stories of families who are struggling to negotiate a system that does not work for them. Too many people are being left isolated and unsupported without the care they need. And too many people dealing with unimaginable care costs including a lady who pays £299.47 a day for care.
“The crisis in social care is a millstone around the neck of our community. It’s clobbering families in South Wiltshire, squeezing budgets for our local council services and undermining our NHS.”
“There have been 22 failed attempts to fix social care in the last few decades. We have to do things differently this time. Liberal Democrats want to work across the party divide in order to find a lasting solution to this crisis.”
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has begun cross-party talks with Prime Minister Andy Burnham in a bid to find what the party says is a lasting solution to the crisis
The Liberal Democrats have outlined three key tests for reform. These include putting family carers at the heart of the system through guaranteed rights and improved respite care, introducing a universal safety net including free personal care, and protecting families from catastrophic care costs.
The party says the crisis is also placing increasing pressure on the NHS, with patients remaining in hospital after they are medically fit to leave because care is not available. Liberal Democrats analysis found that 2.46 million hospital bed days have been lost due to delayed discharges so far in 2026, making it the highest equivalent figure on record.
House of Commons Library analysis commissioned by the party also found individual contributions towards local authority social care rose from £2.93 billion in 2020/21 to £4.68 billion in 2024/25, an increase of 60 per cent.
The Liberal Democrats say meaningful reform is needed to ease pressure on families, local authorities and the NHS across Wiltshire.
