5,000 plead for social care every day as councils fail to keep up

NEARLY 5,000 britons are asking their local authorities for help with their care every day, according to official figures.

Councils received 1.8million new requests for social care support in 2017/18 – an increase of 1.6 per cent on the previous year, according to the data from NHS Digital.

Yet the number receiving long-term help from local authorities fell to 857,770 – a 1.7 per cent decrease.

another 210,000 people were given short-term help, such as nursing care following a hospital stay.

it means hundreds of thousands of over-65s are either being left to fend for themselves or pay for the full cost of their care themselves.

Last night, charities said this was further proof of ‘rationing’ of care services for the elderly. Caroline abrahams of age UK said: ‘ people may be surprised that the numbers receiving care are falling, when we know need is high and rising, but this is because there is nowhere near enough money in the system so care is increasingly rationed.

‘every local council is struggling to some extent because of lack of care funding and care staff but some places are harder hit than others, meaning older people face a real lottery when it comes to getting care.

‘ Unless the government pumps a lot more funding into care in the budget next week the picture will only get worse.’ Social care spending by local authorities increased to £21.3billion in the last year, up £684million since 2016-17 – the equivalent to a 3.3 per cent rise.

but this is failing to make a dent in the growing demand, the report suggests. The elderly accounted for more than seven out of ten new requests for help. Yet the number of over-65s receiving long-term support – at home or in care homes – through local authorities fell for a third year in a row.

Compared with 2015/16, 22,110 fewer older people are receiving long- term care. Many died while they waited, the damning report reveals.

Data showed local councils had 1,843,920 new requests for support, mostly from those living in the community (77.1 per cent). That is more than 4,900 a day. a fifth – 370,045 cases – were for patients who had been discharged from hospital but still needed care.

however, almost a quarter – 24.8 per cent – of over-65s who asked for help were not given any, the report states. Where no services were provided, 32,110 clients (6.5 per cent) died before receiving any help, it said.

Councillor ian hudspeth, chairman of the Local government association’s community wellbeing board, said: ‘These figures are further warning of the crisis in adult social care.’

The government has promised to reform the system with the publication of a social care green paper but this has been delayed. proposals being considered include over-40s being made to pay a ‘social care premium’ to cover the costs of being looked after in old age.