Age UK urges the government to “commit to an urgent injection of funds” into the care sector in the Spring Budget.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

A new report from Age UK has concluded that we are living on borrowed time to save the social care system for older people.

The report, ‘The Health and Care of Older People in England 2017’ draws on new statistics as well as new Age UK analysis. 

The report shows that 1 in 8 over 65’s (1.2 million people) don’t receive the care and support they need with essential daily living activities. That is a 17.9% increase on last year and a 48% since 2010!

The social care crisis described in the report is also creating a significant burden for other forms of support. People are waiting longer to be discharged from hospital, putting more pressure on hospital resources and capacity and leading to increased spending. Waits for residential care have also increased.

“The Government has tried to prop up older people’s social care in three ways: through financial transfers from the NHS, a social care precept in local areas, and by calling on families and friends to do more. Unfortunately our analysis shows there are problems with all three approaches, which in any event are not enough to make up for the chronic shortfall in public funds.”  - Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK

Age UK is calling for the Government to:

1. Recognise the imminent danger which social care is now in and commit to an urgent injection of funds in the Spring Budget.

2.  Lead a process for developing a long term solution to the care crisis that incorporates the views of older and disabled people and all parts of the health and care sector.

You can read the full report here: http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/For-professionals/Research/The_Health_and_Care_of_Older_People_in_England_2016.pdf?dtrk=true

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