Elderly care cuts are dangerous and short-sighted, says charity

Poll of GPs for British Red cross warns that elderly people’s health being put at risk by a lack of social care support

The health of elderly people is being put at risk by “dangerous and short-sighted” cuts in home-based care services, the British Red Cross has warned.

The charity said the cuts were a false economy creating growing pressure on the NHS, and called for a rethink in the way social care is organised. It said elderly people faced increased levels of isolation.

Almost nine in 10 GPs among 200 surveyed for the Red Cross said elderly and vulnerable patients were being put at risk by a lack of social care support, and 80% of the 2,200 members of the public polled said standards were being driven down.

The charity released an economic analysis of its own home-based low-level care services by the New Economics Foundation thinktank, which it said showed that a preventive approach to health and social care could save the NHS up to £10,000 per patient thanks to avoided hospital and residential care admissions.

Sir Nick Young, chief executive of the British Red Cross, said: “We all know budgets are tight but cuts and under-investment to lower-level home-based care which jeopardise patients’ wellbeing and dignity must be challenged.

“The practical and emotional support these services offer often makes the difference between coping or not, between independence or desperation, and between remaining healthy for as long as possible or rapidly deteriorating into crisis.

“As politicians prepare to debate the future of social care it is vital they have the courage to think beyond the short-term and rethink the way care is delivered, prioritising vital preventative care which supports people to live with dignity and confidence in their own homes.”

The survey found that most GPs and members of the public said they believed support for people with lower-level needs was being cut. Among the doctors, 88% said their patients were being put at risk due to a lack of social care support. The same percentage of doctors, as well as 80% of the public, said a lack of investment or cuts to social care was driving down standards.

A Department of Health spokesman said focusing on prevention and keeping people healthy and well for longer were some of the concerns discussed as part of the government’s engagement for its forthcoming care and support white paper.

“We agree that it is false economy to provide fewer services to the most vulnerable,” he said. “The changes to the NHS and social care system aim to focus care on individuals’ needs, and some councils are already taking a more innovative approach through telehealth and telecare. In the spending review, the government recognised the pressures on the adult social care system, and took the decision to prioritise adult social care by allocating an additional £7.2bn up to 2014/15.”

Dave Prentis, general secretary of the Unison trade union, said: “Home care has always provided a vital service and safety net, but our members tell us that this critical protection is being taken away. All too often 15-minute care slots are sold off to the lowest bidder. This does not give enough time for home carers to provide a decent level of care.”