Matt Hartley, leader of Greenwich Conservatives and councillor for Coldharbour & New Eltham speaks on the NHS and social care system in the borough

Last week an additional £1.3million in funding for social care in Greenwich was announced by the Government, as part of plans to assist our local NHS and social care system in dealing with this year’s winter pressures.

This funding is both needed, and welcome. Over the next 50 years the proportion of the UK population made up by over 65s will reach one quarter.

There are currently about 1.6 million people over the age of 85 – in five decades, that will hit five million.

These trends have big implications for the delivery of our public services – and nowhere more so than in our hospitals and local authorities.

The problem of ensuring that everyone is able to receive the social care they need in later life, in particular, has brought with it huge political controversy.

The Government is working on its new Green Paper outlining the future for social care, and has received criticism for delays to its publication.

Given the scale and urgency of the problem, I share those frustrations – but at the same time, it is crucial that the Government gets this right and that takes time.

This is especially true given the new 10-year plan for the NHS, which was announced along with an extra £20billion in funding back in June.

Everyone recognises that the social care system and NHS need to work much more closely together – and the Green Paper needs to align with this new 10-year plan.

Last week the Public Accounts Committee has called for social care to be given its own 10-year funding plan – which is surely the right approach.

However, more money is only part of the answer – transforming services is important too.

A great deal of work is underway at Greenwich council to transform the way that social care is delivered, to make the most of resources and improve outcomes at the same time.

As with most things – away from the politics of the issue, its about doing things smarter, and not just spending more.

That’s usually extremely difficult – but there are also some easy wins among these challenges.

For example, a separate report this month found that only 25 per cent of social care workers are vaccinated against flu – a shocking flaw in the system and one that is easy to put right.

This additional £1.3million for Greenwich is a welcome boost to help our local NHS and social care system through the winter.

At the same time, longer-term plans for social care – both its funding and transformation – cannot come soon enough