[WhyIsItGlowing]

There's a big problem where social care got moved from the department of health to local government a few years ago.

Then, shortly after, the government cut local government funding massively. It used to be funded by a mix of local taxes and funding from central government that was about 50/50. This was part of a strategy to insulate richer areas from the impact of cuts, while poorer ones (which relied more on central funding) took the hit.

This means there's a huge problem with elderly patients who need to be discharged into social care not having the support they would need to go home or a spot in an old people's home to go into.

Which, combined with covid still being around and the fact that even before covid government obsession with efficiency meant that there were a relatively low number of beds which already had a high occupancy rate.

So there was no spare supply to begin with, increasing demand due to a growing and aging population and covid, and lots of people who are stuck in hospital because they need support to leave which doesn't exist.