Care and support in later life has reached financial breaking point

Out of 2 million older people in England with care-related needs, 800,000 receive no formal support from public or private sector agencies. With spending cuts, underway the figure is likely to pass one million.

Since 2004, net spending on older people’s social care has risen by just 0.1 per cent per year in real terms, a total of £43 million, while real spending on the NHS has risen by £25 billion.

The Edith Ellen Foundation has considered comparable deficit in the NHS and Care, our most famous postcode SW1A 2AA predicts that £1.4bn is the funding gap for the NHS in the area while just 20% of patients in the area wait more than four hours to be seen in A&E. The official government target is a maximum of 5%. 

In our own area of PE14 £415.6m is the funding gap for the NHS in the area while 10% of patients in the area wait more than four hours to be seen in A&E. The official government target is a maximum of 5%.

Through a Freedom of Information request, I wrote to every County Council in England I request if they “could you provide a complete breakdown of how much budget was set aside for adult social care in 2015/16 and 2016/17 and what is predicted for 2017/18.”  

In addition, I requested the following clarification

·         How was this budget spent?

·         What was allocated and to where?

·         How this allocation was actually spent?

·         Profit made

·         What if any budget remained left and how this unspent fiscal budget was redistributed?

·         How was this budget spent?

only 1 replied that they had this information and provided me with the following

Key facts on the department

· Demand for adult social care is increasing with the number of requests for support rising by 46% From 48,890 in 2010-11 to 71,192 in 2013-14.

· The number of community care assessments completed by the service has risen 9.4%, up from 15,631 in 2010-11 to 17,098 in 2013-14. Twice as many people are now being given advice and information on other organisations to approach for help.

· Overall satisfaction of people who use Adult Social Services has increased from 60.8% in 2010-11 to 70.1% in 2013-14, above the current national average of 64.9%.

· The proportion of people who use services who feel safe has increased from 68.1%in 2011-12 to 69.6% in 2013-14. This is above the current national average of 66%. (This information was not collected in 2010-11).

· The percentage of carers supported following an assessment or review has increased from 42.2% in 2010-11 to 46.8% in 2013-14, above the current national average of 41.1%.

· Service users and carers have greater choice and control over their care with the percentage choosing to take their care via a personal budget increasing from 18.3% in 2010-11 to 60.9% in 2013-14.

· Take-up of direct payments for service users and carers has increased from 18.9% in 2010-11 to 23.4% in 2013-14, above the current national average of 19.1%.

· Permanent admissions to residential care for older people (aged 65 and over) has increased from 655 people per 100,000 population in 2010-11 to 799 people per 100,000 population in 2013-14. This is in contrast to the national picture where rates have remained relatively static over the same period.

· Permanent admissions to residential care for working aged adults (aged 18-64) has increased from 18 people per 100,000 population in 2010-11 to 45 people per 100,000 in 2013-14. This is more than double the average rate of geographically and demographically comparable local authorities (19 people per 100,000)