Two million older people in England have unmet social care needs, charity estimates

Some two million older people in England are living without the social care help they need, according to estimates a charity has branded “deeply worrying”.

Many are likely to be struggling with things including getting out of bed and washing, Age UK said, warning that not getting help with these basic tasks increases their risk of falls and serious injury.

The charity said its analysis of data from the latest English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and Office for National Statistics (ONS) population figures had led it to an estimate of two million people aged 65 and over who are living with unmet needs for care and support.

This is up from its previous estimate of 1.6 million last year.

The latest figure includes hundreds of thousands of people who are unable to complete basic self-care tasks and are getting either no help or help that does not meet their needs, Age UK said.

The charity’s analysis also suggested that, of the approximately 11 million people aged 65 and over in England, around 10% have difficulty dressing, and 6% have difficulty getting in and out of bed.

It said while the number of people aged over 75 has grown by almost a fifth since 2017, fewer older people have been receiving long-term care through their local authority over this period.

A major review of the health service published this month described the state of social care as “dire” and noted the “profound human cost and economic consequences” of a long under-resourced area of healthcare.

The report by independent peer Lord Darzi was focused on the NHS but said a growing gap between people’s needs and those getting publicly funded social care in England is placing “an increasingly large burden on families and on the NHS”.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said it is not possible “to build an NHS for the future if we don’t fix social care as we do it”, and has repeatedly referred to Labour’s ambition for a 10-year plan to build a so-called National Care Service.

Age UK has urged the Government to “grasp the nettle of social care reform firmly and quickly” and said the findings in its latest report are “frightening, in that they show how badly our health and care system is currently failing some older people, the oldest old especially, despite the professionalism and commitment of many kind and dedicated staff”.

The charity’s director Caroline Abrahams said: “It’s deeply worrying that the numbers of older people living with some unmet need for social care have now reached two million, out of a total older population in England of about 11 million.”

She added: “The Government has not yet said what it intends to do in terms of reforming and refinancing social care, though it has made it clear that it sees social care playing a crucial role in the more joined up, community-based health and care approach it wants to see supporting older people to stay fit and well at home.

“We completely agree with ministers and with Lord Darzi that this is the right direction of travel, but the question we would ask is whether it will prove possible to achieve this without the comprehensive social care reform which ministers suggest it will be impossible to achieve during this Parliament.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Lord Darzi’s report revealed the NHS is broken but not beaten. To fix this, we will develop a 10-year health plan centred on our three core shifts: from hospital to community; analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention.

“We are committed to building a National Care Service, underpinned by national standards and delivered locally, to ensure that everyone can get the care they need.

“We will build consensus on long-term reform, and engage with a range of stakeholders, including cross-party and those with lived experience.”

Copyright (c) PA Media Ltd. 2024, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Pixabay.