Elderly ‘suffering silently’ as only people with extreme need receiving social care

By The Press Association2nd December 2015News EnglandCare Homes, Care Standards, Local Authorities, News England, Older People, Social Care

Elderly people risk dying from conditions seen 100 years ago and are “suffering” due to a lack of Government-backed social care, a former NHS doctor has said.

Dr Chai Patel, who now owns the HC-One chain of more than 200 care homes, said people were arriving at his homes in a very poor state.

He said only those with the highest levels of need now qualify for social care in their own homes and have been left to suffer in silence.

This put them at risk of conditions “seen 100 years ago” such as death from malnutrition, dehydration, infections and developing scabies, he said.

He told the BBC Radio 4 You and Yours programme: “Only people with extreme need are now receiving home care, we are seeing much sicker and much frailer individuals coming into care.

“Out there – silently – a lot of older people are suffering.

“They are not getting sufficient care, whether it’s bathing, whether it’s meals that people are having to wait for, or not getting medication on time.

“I suspect that with the level of care we are now giving – unless people have a community or family close enough – we are going to see some things we haven’t seen for 100 years.

“Like people dying of malnutrition, people coming in because they have infections, scabies – things that we are seeing going up – people suffering from falls and suffering in pain for ages, and dehydration.”

Dr Patel said there should be a public outcry over the state of social care provision.

And he said there was a risk parts of the care home system could collapse, especially when providers have to fund the new living wage.

He said 50% of care homes were making around a 3% return, “so they are just about surviving”.

While the living wage was a good thing for workers, it would “tip” over care home providers unless it was adequately funded, he said.

In last week’s spending review, the Chancellor George Osborne set out plans to allow local authorities in England to add 2% to council tax.

The rise could bring in up to £2bn more to pay for adult social care but many care providers and councils have warned it will not be enough.

An Age UK report in October found that spending on social care has fallen “quite spectacularly” over the last five years.

In 2005/06, more than 1.2 million older people were receiving social care support from social service departments.

By 2013/14 that number had fallen by around 377,000 to just over 850,000.

In September, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said home help visits of less than 30 minutes were not acceptable unless part of a wider package of support.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “We have invested £10bn to fund the NHS’s own plan for the future, including joining up health and social care services to help people stay well and avoid unnecessary stays in hospital.

“Alongside this, the spending review gave local authorities access to up to £3.5 billion extra a year by the end of this Parliament, helping give greater certainty on adult social care funding.”