Oldest people in society ‘most at risk of abuse’, investigations figures show

More than half of investigations into the neglect of vulnerable people contain allegations relating to the very people they rely on for care, new figures suggest.

Last year councils in England carried out more than 100,000 investigations into abuse, or people at risk of abuse, including 42,000 allegations of neglect.

Of the cases of neglect or omission, 57% of allegations related to the social care sector, according to new figures from NHS Digital.

Older people’s charity Independent Age said these types of allegations could include elderly people being left in soiled clothing and calls for help going unanswered.

Abuse inquiries detailed in the new report also included allegations of physical harm and psychological or financial abuse, or risk of abuse.

Almost two-thirds of the investigations related to people aged 65 and over.

The figures for 2015/16 showed that a quarter of investigations were about physical abuse, 5% related to sexual abuse and 15% were about psychological abuse.

Meanwhile, 16% of investigations related to financial abuse, or risk of abuse.

Janet Morrison, chief executive of Independent Age, said: “Abuse at any age must be condemned and these figures show that, of adults, the oldest people in our society, the over-85s, are most at risk of abuse.

“More than a third of all cases investigating allegations of abuse concerned acts of neglect.

“What’s even more worrying is that 57% of cases of alleged neglect and omission come from within the social care sector itself.

“In practice this means people could be left in soiled clothing, a bell ringing for help goes unanswered, or food is left to go cold on a plate while an older person goes hungry.

“And the reality is that we have no idea of the true scale of the problem as these figures only reveal cases where concerns about potential neglect have actually come to light.

“The new Prime Minister has talked about her desire to tackle injustice – we would urge her to tackle the cause of these appalling figures head on.”

Meanwhile, a separate report by NHS Digital detailed the number of people who were eligible for support through social care services in England.

Last year there were around 318,000 requests for social care support for people over 65 as they were discharged from hospital.

But 93,285 of these requests resulted in no service provided, according to figures.

Meanwhile, 44,510 who sought help were signposted to other services or community facilities.

So-called “bed-blocking” is a growing problem in hospitals. It can occur when patients no longer require hospital care but doctors feel they cannot safely discharge their patients to go home.

Overall the figures showed that during 2015/16, there were 1.8 million requests for social care support from councils in England, with about three-quarters of requests relating to people aged 65 and older.

But 57% of requests for support resulted in no direct support from the council.

Commenting on the report, Simon Bottery, director of policy at Independent Age, said: “These figures reveal the real consequences of a care and support system in crisis.

“Around 350,000 people, that’s 26% of people over 65 who asked for help from their council received no assistance at all.

“Of these, nearly 100,000 are older people who were discharged from hospital and asked for help but received none.

“While some people with low-level needs may not need formal care and support, many do.

“We hear regularly from those left struggling to cope on their own despite facing really serious needs.

“What we are now seeing are the undeniable consequences of a care system that can’t manage the demands being placed on it.

“Budgets have been repeatedly cut, and there is a growing workforce gap in the sector.

“It is vital that people get the right support when they need it.

“Without facing up to the reality of the cost of social care, this situation will get worse, and it is older and disabled people who will suffer the most.”

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “Abuse is completely unacceptable at all times, and whatever the cause, we are determined to stamp it out.

“This Government has introduced tougher inspections on care services to help make sure abuse is caught and dealt with, and made sure that across the country, the police, councils and NHS are working together to help protect vulnerable adults from abuse or other types of exploitation.”

Commenting on the allegations of abuse, Izzi Seccombe, chairwoman of the Local Government Association’s community and wellbeing board, said: “Councils take allegations of abuse and neglect extremely seriously and work with local health services both to prevent abuse and to ensure wellbeing of anyone who has been affected.

“Any form of abuse is unacceptable and we all have a role to ensure that every member of our community is able to live safe, dignified and happy lives either in their own home or in residential care.”

On the number of requests for support resulting in no direct support from a council, she added: “Not every person requesting or receiving a care assessment necessarily needs the direct support of adult social care services. In many cases, signposting someone to an alternative type of support, such as in the voluntary sector, could be more suitable, and should enable people to live more independently in their community for longer.

“But we can only provide care and support to those who are assessed as needing direct support if social care is properly funded.”

Vicky McDermott, chairwoman of the Care and Support Alliance, a coalition of more than 80 UK charities, said: “Figures released from NHS Digital today show that fewer and fewer people are receiving the care and support they desperately need. This is yet another indicator of the impact that chronic underfunding of social care in England is having.

“Many vulnerable people rely on social care for their most basic needs, like getting out of bed, washing and eating. Today’s publication makes sobering reading, showing that fewer people are receiving long term support despite demographic pressures meaning that more and more people need it.

“The Prime Minister will be judged by her actions, not her words. If Theresa May is serious about creating a ‘country that works for everyone’, she must address the growing crisis in social care funding, and we urge her to make it a priority in the autumn statement.”

_{Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2016, All Rights Reserved.}