Increase In Demand For Care Services

The rise in the number of elderly people is set to create a major demand for care services. North Yorkshire County Council has said older people made up 18% of the population on its patch in 2001, but the figure is set to rise to 25% by 2020.

This is expected to cause an increase in the number of people who use care and well-being services provided by the county council. Steps are now being taken to make sure the authority can cope with the increase in demand and rise in costs.

County Coun John Fort, executive member for adult and community services, said: “The traditional approach to providing services has viewed individuals as passive recipients of welfare services, emphasising the role of the professional to prescribe the range of support required.

“This new approach is different in that it seeks to achieve outcomes for the whole community – not just those eligible for social care support.”

The county council is aiming to make sure all adults have equal access to services like sports, leisure, cultural, educational, training and employment services, to set up an improved early intervention scheme, to target its spending on the most valued services, and to make sure housing is affordable and better designed.

Another initiative being investigated by the council is using information technology to monitor people in their own homes.