Social care ‘at breaking point’ as sweeping changes planned

Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb said urgent changes were needed to deal with the ageing population.

Announcing plans to integrate health and social care, he said: “This is a new challenge – people with chronic conditions living for more years. If we don’t adjust things for their needs, the system will collapse.

“At the moment disproportionately a large chunk of the NHS budget goes on old people and long-term illness. We can no longer afford to throw money at problems.

“It’s a dysfunctional system and as people get older, that system is getting worse.”

His speech at an event organised by the King’s Fund think-tank came as experts in the field were set to be urged to speak up for themselves at a conference in York.

Mike Padgham, chair of the Independent Care Group for York and North Yorkshire, will tell the group’s annual conference and exhibition: “I want today’s conference to be the catalyst for a campaign for us all to speak up more for social care, not just in York and North Yorkshire, but across the country.

“It is time for an end to the negative headlines and time instead for recognition of the excellent work we do to look after the country’s older and vulnerable people.”

He said that multi-million pound cuts to social care budgets confirmed the group’s warnings that social care was “at breaking point”.

“Many, many more people are going without care as a result of the cuts and providers are being driven towards the point of bankruptcy,” he will tell the event at York Barbican.

Mr Padgham will urge the Government to listen to experts warning that the system is struggling, and ask for help for care providers.

“A VAT break for care businesses would assist and could be linked to providing higher quality care. We also need greater engagement between the Government and independent providers.”

His comments will follow the announcement of Government plans to co-ordinate health and social care by 2018 to cut the number of people stuck in hospital.

A Department of Health spokesman said that at present “inadequate co-ordination” between hospital and social care staff leads to some older patients facing long waits before being discharged.

He said others are discharged from hospital to homes which are not adapted to their needs – which leads to them deteriorating or falling and ending up back in A&E.

Mr Lamb added: “Mid Staffordshire reminds us hospitals under pressure can be a matter of life and death.

“We can’t afford to let this to continue. Powering on regardless isn’t an option.

“To do nothing is disastrous. The system will collapse in future years.”

Michelle Mitchell, director general of Age UK, said: “The steep rise in the length of time people are waiting for a care home place, home care or adaptations – significantly above the general rise in delayed discharge waits – suggests that something has gone seriously wrong in the transition from hospital to home or residential care during the time when we know social care spending has fallen dramatically.”