Tens of thousands of dementia sufferers failed by councils
THOUSANDS of people with dementia are being denied vital care because councils fail to meet basic legal standards, a damning report has revealed.
Last year more than half of dementia patients in England were not granted their legal right to a review to check they were receiving enough support, it found.
Some are left without food for days because they are not offered extra social care as their condition deteriorates.
The report by Healthwatch England warned that tens of thousands of vulnerable patients ‘slip through cracks in the care system’ and that it had reached ‘breaking point’.
It found that councils routinely failed to uphold the Care Act 2014, which states that they must re-assess the social care needs of dementia patients at least once a year.
Last year only 45 per cent of dementia patients received a planned annual review of their care needs. The failure to re-assess their needs means they may be denied essential extra support, such as being moved to a care home.
It is vital to regularly review the care of dementia patients because the condition can deteriorate rapidly, meaning people struggle to carry out routine tasks such as making food or going to the lavatory.
Healthwatch England, a statutory body set up to defend patients’ rights, made the 45 per cent finding after obtaining data from two-thirds of England’s local authorities, which are responsible for the long-term social care of 91,000 dementia patients. The figures also showed a quarter dementia sufferers had an unplanned review – often caused by an emergency that could have been avoided if adequate care was in place.
The report, published today, said the social care system was ‘not responsive to people’s needs or changes in their condition’.
It warned that family members were increasingly having to ‘sacrifice their own health’ to plug the gaps in the social care system by acting as carers.
An estimated 850,000 people in the UK have dementia but the number is predicted to soar to two million by 2050. The Daily Mail has lobbied for improved care standards in its Dignity for the Elderly campaign.
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said inadequate care had devastating consequences, and people were being ‘left in soiled sheets or left for days without food’.
He continued: ‘It’s downright appalling that more than half of people with dementia didn’t get a care package review last year. There are hundreds of thousands who rely on the principles enshrined in the Care Act to deliver the support they need.
‘Yet this is simply not happening, and as a result people with dementia – a progressive condition – are being left with unmet and unrecognised care needs. People with dementia frequently face catastrophic care costs of up to £500,000.
‘There is no excuse for allowing some of the most vulnerable in society to slip through the cracks in the care system, and to expect them to be the ones to pick up the pieces.’ Imelda Redmond, from Healthwatch England, said: ‘Over half of reviews for people with dementia were missed by councils last year, so we simply don’t know if people are getting the support they need.
‘Behind each missed review is a real human story. We heard examples where a lack of support left people and their families struggling to cope on a daytoday basis, with tasks that many of us take for granted, like eating, washing, dressing or even using the lavatory.
‘The fact that councils are struggling to meet the Care Act requirement to deliver care reviews should provide a real wake-up call to us all.
‘Council resources have been stretched to near breaking point over recent years, meanwhile the number of people with dementia is forecast to increase rapidly. The demand on vital support services will only rise.’ Ian Hudspeth, chairman of the Local Government Association’s community wellbeing board, said: ‘Councils are committed to the underlying ambition of the Care Act to improve the lives and wellbeing of people with dementia and their families.
‘But this is becoming increasingly difficult to do given the scale of the pressures facing the social care system and the strain on the workforce.
‘Adult social care faces a £3.6billion funding gap by 2025. Therefore the upcoming Spending Review and much-delayed Government green paper needs to provide the long-term sustainable funding solution which adult social care, including those with dementia, urgently needs.’
The report comes amid warnings that government promises to transform care for people with dementia have been ‘kicked into the long grass’.