Around 1,275 people in Wales are currently stuck in hospital beds because of delays in social care, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats has warned.

Jane Dodds MS said inpatients were “deteriorating in wards when they should be at home” and need “urgent results”.

She told the Senedd: “The Welsh Local Government Association has projected a social care funding gap of over £200 million this year alone, yet the previous budget provided only £180 million across both health and social care.

“In November, you described social care as the most underfunded and overlooked pillar of Welsh healthcare, and you were absolutely right.

“Could you outline exactly what your response is to those people stuck in hospitals right now?”

In response, Health Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor MS said Ms Dodds was “absolutely right” that social care is crucial.

He said: “If we are going to resolve the issues facing our health service, we need to resolve the issues facing social care.

“But the issues facing those who are being delayed from discharge, those who can't get a care package, are more than just social care - they're also in primary care.

“It's the whole-system approach which is what we're looking at here, ensuring that we invest in primary care, making sure that people don't clog up the system on that front end, and then making sure that people can be discharged safely.

“That’s what the plans we've put forward look at, ensuring that that care is in the community, closer to home so that people are seen closer to their home.

“That’s part of the reason why we want to ensure that we merge health and social care so that we make sure that there are no gaps in the system, that people are working together and that organisations talk with each other.”