Southampton’s beleaguered care services are under pressure on every front.

As a consequence of continued Government austerity measures the NHS is now really beginning to feel the strain. Emergency hospital care, GP services, mental health provision, community health have all experienced difficulties over the past year and must dread the onset of winter. Our local NHS trusts struggle to balance their books and they have not been helped by severe cutbacks in other areas of public spending, such as welfare benefits and council social services budgets.

Things don’t look like getting better any time soon. The independent Kings Fund estimates that the NHS requires an additional £30 billion p.a. by 2020 if it is to avert meltdown.

A report of the Directors of Adult Social Services calculates that £4.3 billion more is needed each year if councils in England are to meet the future care needs of an ageing society.

The NHS chief executive argues that a future Government needs to find an extra £8 billion p.a. in addition to savings that can be achieved through greater efficiencies, integration and a shift to healthier lifestyles.

The Conservatives commit to ‘ringfence’ NHS spending but promise to maintain their savage assault on council finances. The Liberal Democrats promise an extra £1 billion p.a. for mental health while Labour’s Andy Burnham proposes to increase NHS spending by £2.5 billion p.a. paid for out of a ‘mansion tax’ and taxes on tobacco companies.

People want to see increased public spending on our NHS and social care services. Those of us who accept the general premise of an NHS which has served us so well since its creation in 1948 now also need to acknowledge that taxes and/or national insurance contributions will have to increase if we are to meet future demand. So long as these taxes are fair and progressive the majority of British people would back these increases.

Are the national politicians out there listening?