Social care crisis leaves 75,000 desperate for help
THE social care sector is struggling under “an avalanche of need”, with up to 75,000 vulnerable people desperate for help.
Almost 7,000 elderly or disabled adults have been waiting more than six months for crucial assessments, say directors of local authority social services departments.
Meanwhile, 160,000 have not had an annual review of their care package.
Councils say the numbers are “unprecedented” as services collapse under the pressure of the pandemic.
And despite the worsening delays, local authorities are being forced to plan for savings of £600million in social services spending this year.
The figures have emerged in the annual budget survey of local council social services in England by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS).
Almost 55,000 disabled or older people, or their carers, are waiting for an assessment of their needs, while more than 19,000 who have been assessed and deemed eligible are waiting for a service or a direct payment to arrange their own care and support.
Stephen Chandler, ADASS president, said: “Many directors are saying they have never seen such an avalanche of need. Tens of thousands of people have lost their independence during the pandemic, suffered fresh distress or seen existing care and support arrangements break down.”
Three per cent of directors said they were most worried about pensioners. Forty per cent said they were most concerned about people of working age while 54 per cent said they were equally concerned about both. However, the Government’s manifesto commitment to reform social care focuses on older people.
Edel Harris, chief executive of learning disability charity Mencap, said: “While support needs have increased, access to vital care is harder than ever to come by.”
Helen Walker, of Carers UK, said: “It’s unacceptable that carers are being pushed to the brink of collapse.”