Torbay MP, Steve Darling, has called for the government to complete their social care review within the year

Torbay MP, Steve Darling, has called for the government to complete their social care review within the year after shocking new research by the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, shows that at least 15 care homes were rated as ‘requires improvement’.

Torbay faces particularly critical social care challenges due its demographic; with 27.5% of residents aged 65 and over (significantly higher than the England average of 18.2%) and the area's 136,218 population.

Local Liberal Democrat MP Steve said that the figures showed that “people are not getting the quality of care they deserve” and called on the government to complete their social care review by the end of the year, currently slated to be finished in 2028, as “people cannot afford to wait for the can to be kicked down the road anymore”.

Steve added:

“Social care here in Torbay is in crisis. Far too many people are not getting the quality of care they deserve and going through real suffering as a result.

“The new government’s response to the Conservative Party’s shocking neglect has been bitterly disappointing. Their social care review shows none of the urgency required. We cannot afford to wait for the can to be kicked down the road anymore.

“By 2028 there is a real chance that social care here in Torbay will have simply stopped functioning — it is already on the brink. This review must be completed within the next 12 months and the Liberal Democrats will continue to push the government until this is delivered.”