Tory spending cuts after the election could KILL the old and frail, warns Lib Dem health minister

• EXCLUSIVE: Norman Lamb slams Conservative plans to slash the deficit

• Lib Dem minster said old-age care was already facing huge pressures

• But Tory decision to protect school funding means impact will be 'massive'

• This will mean 'unacceptable standards of care' which could kill, he said

Planned Tory spending cuts will have 'very serious consequences' for the old and frail - and could even cost lives, a Lib Dem minister has warned.

Health Minister Norman Lamb said Conservative plans to slash the deficit without increasing taxes meant it was 'inevitable' that care for the elderly would be drastically hit.

He said old-age care was already facing huge pressures, but Mr Cameron's decision to protect school funding as well as health and overseas aid meant the impact was now going to be 'massive'.

This will mean 'unacceptable standards of care' which could cost lives, he said.

Mr Lamb told MailOnline: 'Now they've said schools are going to be ring-fenced, the proportionate impact on other areas is going to be even greater.

'I'm quite sure they won't be ring-fencing councils [which control social care spending] against deficit reduction and so the impact on services for frail elderly people could be massive and the knock on effect for the NHS could be significant as well.'

He went on: 'If you are going to cut that further, and as far as I can see that's inevitable under the Tories' plans, the consequences for older people are very serious.'

Asked if it would put their lives at risk he said: 'Of course, potentially that is the case, but also just unacceptable standards of care.

'If they want to solve that by transferring money from the NHS budget, then it means they are not ring-fencing the NHS.'

Mr Lamb added: 'That's why I have made this call, where I'm saying all of us, all parties should come together for a non-partisan review this year, which would engage the public in a debate on both the care and health budgets.'

Planned Tory spending cuts will have 'very serious consequences' for the old and frail - and could even cost lives, a Lib Dem minister has warned.

Health Minister Norman Lamb said Conservative plans to slash the deficit without increasing taxes meant it was 'inevitable' that care for the elderly would be drastically hit.

He said old-age care was already facing huge pressures, but Mr Cameron's decision to protect school funding as well as health and overseas aid meant the impact was now going to be 'massive'.

This will mean 'unacceptable standards of care' which could cost lives, he said.

Mr Lamb told MailOnline: 'Now they've said schools are going to be ring-fenced, the proportionate impact on other areas is going to be even greater.

'I'm quite sure they won't be ring-fencing councils [which control social care spending] against deficit reduction and so the impact on services for frail elderly people could be massive and the knock on effect for the NHS could be significant as well.'

He went on: 'If you are going to cut that further, and as far as I can see that's inevitable under the Tories' plans, the consequences for older people are very serious.'

Asked if it would put their lives at risk he said: 'Of course, potentially that is the case, but also just unacceptable standards of care.

'If they want to solve that by transferring money from the NHS budget, then it means they are not ring-fencing the NHS.'

Mr Lamb added: 'That's why I have made this call, where I'm saying all of us, all parties should come together for a non-partisan review this year, which would engage the public in a debate on both the care and health budgets.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2937782/Tory-spending-cuts-election-KILL-old-frail-warns-Lib-Dem-health-minister.html#ixzz3QhFrpsZL
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook