Dennis Reed (Letters, October 1, 'Social care support vital') is correct in his analysis of the crisis affecting adult social care in Britain today. I welcome the founding of the pressure group Silver Voices, and wish it great success in its endeavours to highlight the problem.

I was a carer for my late mother for 14 years and I am fully aware of the challenges, both social and financial, surrounding the issue in Britain today.

Mr Reed asserts that political parties do not have a solution to the present acute crisis in social care. It is from political action and policy, however, from where a solution must come.

During the recent Labour leadership election I contacted all the candidates to ascertain their views on the issue, as during the election I attempted to highlight them myself locally.

The way forward must be to establish a National Care Service run in conjunction with the NHS to ensure that elderly people receive the care they need, tailored individually and in conjunction with GP's and health professionals. Cash-strapped local councils facing huge centrally imposed cuts clearly can no longer cope.

Hopefully a consensus on the issue can be reached. We are constantly being told that we are living longer and, as such, short-term solutions are no longer viable.

A new national pressure group is an important step forward, but I hope it will work with local and national politicians to achieve success.

John A. Bateson

Labour Candidate, Westmorland and Lonsdale 2015

Oxenholme