Ministers ‘flying blind’ on elderly care

The study, from the Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation, found 245,855 fewer older people receiving free social care in the community in 2012-13 compared with 2009-10 - a 26 per cent drop.

Home and day care spending by councils fell by 23 per cent - or £538 million - over the same period, it said.

Meanwhile, the number of older people receiving meals delivered to their home has more than halved since 2009-10, falling by 59 per cent (or 54,795 people). Funding for meals has fallen 46 per cent over the same period.

The study, which covers England, said councils had implemented their funding squeeze by focusing resources on over-65s with the highest level of need.

While the number of people receiving 10 or more hours of care and overnight care remained constant between 2009-10 and 2012-13, around 42 per cent fewer people received the “lower-intensity” level of care.

It comes after a report from the National Audit Office (NAO) earlier this month found most of the “significant” drop in spending on social care has come from cuts to services, particularly for the elderly.

The NAO warned that cuts were increasing pressure on other parts of the system, such as the NHS and A&E, and yet the Government was unclear on how these pressures would be absorbed.

Authors behind today’s study accused the NHS and Government of “flying blind” in planning services for vulnerable older people because there is no way of assessing the impact social care cuts are having on their health and wellbeing.

They warned that even those still receiving help may be at risk of poor quality care due to staff shortages, high staff turnover or reduced contact hours.

Holly Holder, report lead author and fellow in health policy at the Nuffield Trust, said: “Our analysis paints a picture of increased rationing of social care by hard-pressed local authorities in response to deep cuts from central government, despite the growing numbers of older people in the population.

“It is highly likely that this is having a negative effect on older people’s health and wellbeing and that of their carers, but without adequate data to assess this impact, the NHS and Government are flying blind when it comes to managing demand and planning for the future.”

Jennifer Dixon, chief executive of the Health Foundation, said: “Across the English NHS, A&E departments are creaking, in part because of rising demand for care from frail older people.

“Emergency hospital admissions have risen by almost a third in 10 years: many of these were preventable and many were short stay admissions for older people with multiple conditions. Good quality social care can help to prevent attendances in A&E.”

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said: “On David Cameron’s watch, hundreds of thousands of people have lost support in the home.

“Millions more have seen care charges spiral upwards and now struggle to pay for the support they need. Since the election, ministers have taken almost £2 billion out of budgets for adult social care.

“We will never get the care we need from a system where care is dished out in 15-minute slots, forcing overstretched care workers to choose between feeding people or helping them wash.”

Richard Hawkes, chairman of the Care and Support Alliance, said: “This is another powerful reminder that the social care system is on its knees.

“The number of people receiving care is being rationed, leaving thousands of people previously eligible without any local care support.”