As we get older, many of us will need additional help in our day-to-day lives. It is essential that we address the ongoing crisis in social care so that when that time in our lives arrives for ourselves, or for our relatives, we know that support will be there.

Social care services are struggling with a shortage of staff, rising costs, and an ageing population – all while demand rises. These pressures are greater in rural areas like ours too.

Poor transport links and more isolated communities mean fewer people can rely upon informal care from friends or loved ones.  Staff working here face additional costs to fulfil their responsibilities too, often having to drive long distances to visit patients.

This is not a new development; the warning signs have been there for years, and successive Governments have failed to properly tackle the situation. There have been repeated reviews and proposals, all of which have fallen by the wayside due to a lack of political will.

Last year, almost ten percent of social care roles were vacant. This amounts to over 152,000 social care vacancies across the country, putting huge pressure on both those seeking care and those delivering it.

The Government has been trying to compensate by relying on care workers from overseas, but this can bring about cultural misunderstandings between residents and care workers. To address the shortage of care workers, we need to make sure they are valued and given the resources they need to do their jobs properly.

That’s why the Liberal Democrats are pushing for a new ‘Carer’s Minimum Wage’ of £2 per hour more than the standard minimum wage; up to at least £13.44 per hour. This would show that we value this work and help fill vacancies across the South West, especially in our rural and coastal communities.

But a pay increase alone isn’t enough. I would also like to see a proper workforce plan to recruit and train the new staff we need, and certainty that they can claim back the additional costs posed by delivering care in rural communities like ours. Social care workers put in long hours and many travel vast distances – they deserve to be valued properly and deserve not just our support, but also our respect.

Done properly, this is a role that ensures that we can continue to live with dignity as we get older. Benjamin Franklin once said: "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." The new Government should take note and act now to fix our broken social care system.