Brexit and then Covid exacerbated the problems.
Many workers, particularly in care homes, felt forgotten about and traumatised by the experience. Many left the profession.
The latest figures from Skills for Care, which compiles data on adult social care, shows 19,000 vacancies in the north west – 7.6% of the workforce.
For decades successive governments of all hues have declared something radical must be done to solve the issues faced by social care.
Plans have been drawn up – but no government has so far carried through the policies needed to raise the funds for those plans.
“It’s not something that can be swept down the road any further. We need some immediate actions and we also need a long term plan,” said Mr Bottery.
He wants to see a number of reforms including a cap on care costs, due to be brought in last year but then delayed.
“None of us knows whether we’re going to get dementia in later life,” he said.
“Having some sort of insurance, in the loosest sense of the word, so that we are all contributing… to a system which can properly support us if we need to use it, to me that makes a lot of sense and I think the public gets that.
“It’s exactly the same principle which underlines the NHS… it’s not rocket science.
“Ultimately we know what needs to be done, we’ve got a good idea of what it will cost and we’re not talking absolutely astronomical sums.”
But we are talking billions of pounds – last year The Health Foundation estimated it would cost about £8bn a year, rising to £18bn by 2033.
In the current economic climate few politicians in the main parties want to discuss how best to fund this.