Providers Unite Weekly Update
We hope you had a brilliant Christmas and New Year break and managed to rest, reset, and recharge. We’re genuinely excited to reconnect with you all and get the conversations moving again as we step into 2026 together. There’s a lot ahead, and we can’t wait to see what this year brings for Providers Unite.
Older People’s Commissioner launches survey into social care in Wales
Older people across Wales who receive help and support from social care services are being encouraged to share their experiences in a survey run by the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales this month.
10% rise for council staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland sought by UNISON, Unite and GMB
Unions have lodged a claim for a "significant pay rise" for local government staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Liberal Democrats Call for US Drug Deal Funds to Be Redirected into Social Care
The Liberal Democrats have called on the government to abandon a controversial pharmaceutical agreement with the United States, arguing that the savings should instead be invested in England’s struggling social care sector.
Under the current arrangement, UK pharmaceutical products will continue to enter the US market without tariffs for a three-year period. The agreement requires the NHS to increase its cost threshold for new medications by a quarter.
Wes Streeting’s approach to social care reform is not good enough - Yorkshire Post Letters
Sadly, problems of patients taking up hospital beds when they could be in the community are not new. They've been a feature of Yorkshire Post stories since I became a subscriber.
Care leavers given free prescriptions, dental care and eye checks up to 25
Government also announces pilot to improve children in care's access to mental health support in package to tackle health inequalities for care experienced people.
Staff sleeping in caravan at Johnston nursing home
A CALL to keep a staff caravan sited as a “a proportionate and necessary addition to support the ongoing operation” of a Pembrokeshire nursing home, has been given the go-ahead by county planners.
Lib Dems call on Keir Starmer to cancel £3bn “Trump tax” on NHS and invest in fixing social care instead
The Government has agreed to a deal that will force the NHS to pay £3 billion a year in higher drug prices to pharmaceuticals, an act of total surrender to the White House. The Liberal Democrats warned that the Prime Minister is prioritising placating Donald Trump over fixing the crisis in social care.
The party is calling on Starmer to cancel the “Trump Tax” and allocate this funding to the NHS and social care instead.
Parliamentary News
Here are some MPs who asked health & social care questions this week, along with their names and constituencies:
Elsie Blundell MP (Labour, Heywood & Middleton North)
What steps are being taken to prevent the exploitation of migrant care workers by private care companies, including visa sponsor issues and worker protections?
Shaun Davies MP (Labour, Telford)
Will the Government honour promises of indefinite leave to remain after five years for health and social care workers (specifically referencing staff at Musgrove Park Hospital)?
Helen Morgan MP (Liberal Democrat, North Shropshire)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to implement the healthy food standard policy announced as part of the 10-year health plan for England within the current Parliament; and if he will publish a timeline for these legislative or regulatory changes.
Elsie Blundell MP (Labour, Heywood & Middleton North)
What steps are being taken to prevent the exploitation of migrant care workers by private care companies, including visa sponsorship and worker protections?
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Let’s keep building momentum every voice strengthens the movement. Together, we’re making care visible.