NHS and social care system is straining and occasionally failing to meet the requirements of older people, according to a new in-depth analysis from the charity Age UK, titled "Fixing the Foundations."
This is because both systems are underfunded and overburdened. Long-standing issues that preceded the pandemic but were also made worse by it are putting a lot of stress on families and carers and keeping the NHS in a constant state of crisis. As a result, there are currently a lot of ambulances parked outside hospital emergency rooms and long wait times for patients of all ages to receive urgent care.
- Half (49%) of all people arriving in A&E by ambulance are over 65 and a third (35%) over 75
- The proportion of older people feeling supported to manage their health condition has fallen by a fifth (almost 20%) in relative terms since 2016/17
- One in five (21%) over 80s have some unmet need for social care
Systems of health and social care for the elderly has, deteriorated throughout the intervening time. The pandemic also caused older individuals to experience greater illness and acquire care needs more quickly, typically due to "deconditioning," which can be linked in large part to a lack of work force planning and a decade of underinvestment.
As a result, the NHS waiting lists have gotten longer, hundreds of thousands of elderly people who depend on care and support are now without it, and a sizable proportion of patients are now stranded in hospitals because they require social care at home, which is unavailable to them.
It is now more important that ever that the NHS and social care system receives the support and investment it needs to transform services and deliver on the ambitions originally set out in the NHS Long Term Plan and again in the Urgent and Emergency Care recovery plan.
Age UK – find out more here