A new report from Age UK has concluded that the UK is ‘living on borrowed time’ in saving the social care system from complete collapse.
The report, ‘The Health and Care of Older People in England 2017’, draws on official statistics, new Age UK analysis and examines the Government’s social care strategy.
The findings show that there are almost 1.2 million people over 65 who don’t receive the care support they need with essential daily living activities, which is a 17.9% increase on last year and a 48% increase since 2010.
The findings also suggest that by 2020/21 public spending on social care needs to increase by a minimum of £1.65 billion to £9.99 billion in order to manage the impact of future demographic and unit cost pressures alone.
Without imminent changes the charity has said there is a genuine risk of the ‘complete collapse’ of the social care system in the worst affected areas this year or next.
The Charity is calling on Government to recognise the danger which social care is under and urging them to commit to an injection of funds in the Spring Budget.
A long term solution to the care crisis is needed urgently, Age UK has said, that incorporates the views of older and disabled people and all parts of the health and care sector, as well as engages the public.
Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s Charity Director said: “Our new report makes for frightening reading because it shows just how fragile older people’s social care now is. Even worse, unless something changes the crisis will certainly deepen this year and next, and we think there is now a real risk of a complete collapse in social care in the worst affected areas. If this happened it would be a disaster that would threaten the health and even the lives of the older people affected. It would also greatly intensify pressures on our hospitals.”
"Some older people and their families are already telling us that they simply cannot find any carers where they live, and we are also hearing of vulnerable older people receiving council funded care whose help has been significantly reduced, leaving them to manage alone for many hours at a time.”
“This is an incredibly serious situation that demands an immediate Government response. We urge the Government to make an emergency injection of funds into social care in the Spring Budget to stave off the risk of complete collapse. But even that’s not enough: the Government must also get on with developing a long term solution to the care crisis and listen to older and disabled people and all parts of the health and care sector about what is required. This process cannot happen behind closed doors in Whitehall: we must also engage the public in the important question of how we pay for a decent care system we can put our faith in if we or someone we love needs it.”
