Hundreds of older and disabled people in Reading were denied social care support last year, according to analysis published by the Liberal Democrats.
The party said 380 older people in Reading were denied care during 2024/25, along with 210 working-age disabled adults.
Reading Liberal Democrats said the figures showed the social care system was at “breaking point” and called for politicians to work together on a long-term solution.
The figures have been released as Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called for cross-party talks on social care reform.
The party has set out three tests it wants to see included in any reforms.
These include greater rights and support for unpaid family carers, including respite care and changes to Carer’s Allowance.
The Liberal Democrats are also calling for a universal safety net, including free personal care, and protection against “catastrophic” care costs.
The party said social care pressures were also having an impact on the NHS, with people remaining in hospital despite being medically fit to leave because the necessary support was not available.
According to Liberal Democrat analysis, 2.46 million hospital bed days were lost to delayed discharges during 2026, the highest figure for the equivalent period in previous years.
The analysis also found an average of 13,618 people a day were unable to leave hospital in June because the appropriate support was not in place.
The Liberal Democrats said this was more than 1,400 higher than when Labour came to office in July 2024.
Liberal Democrat councillor Meri O’Connell said families in Reading were being “left isolated and unsupported”.
“Every week in Reading, I speak to families who have reached breaking point,” she said.
“Too many people are being left isolated and unsupported without the care they need.
“The crisis in social care is a millstone around the neck of our community. It’s clobbering families in Reading, squeezing budgets for our local council services and undermining our NHS.”
She said there had been “22 failed attempts” to reform social care over recent decades.
“We have to do things differently this time,” she said.
“Liberal Democrats want to work across the party divide to find a lasting solution to this crisis.”
The party also wants family carers to be at the centre of future reforms and is calling for people to receive care regardless of their financial circumstances.
It said no one should have to lose their home or life savings because of catastrophic care costs.
House of Commons Library analysis commissioned by the Liberal Democrats found individual contributions towards local authority social care increased by 60% between 2020/21 and 2024/25.
The total rose from £2.93bn to £4.68bn over that period, according to the analysis.
The party also said access to social care among people aged over 65 had fallen from 8.2% in 2003 to 3.6% in 2024/25.
It said at least one in seven people aged over 65 now face care costs of more than £100,000 over their lifetime.
The Liberal Democrats have called for cross-party agreement on reforms, with Mr Davey meeting Andy Burnham as part of efforts to find a consensus on the future of social care.
