Care services face extra pressure as number of over-80s booms

According to the latest research, there were 2.6m people aged over 80 in 2010 – although this figure is expected to rise to 4.8m by 2030.

That means there is a need for an 82 per cent increase in the number of care home places – 630,000 extra places – between now and 2030 in order to cope.

The findings, published in the BMC Geriatrics journal, indicated that with the massive increase in numbers in the older age group predicted in the coming years, more and more pressure will be placed on care services.

Carol Jagger, AXA Professor of Epidemiology of Ageing at Newcastle University and joint author of the paper, said: “The results were surprising.

“More people than we imagined can look after themselves to a large extent, which is encouraging.”

Meanwhile, the Law Commission will today warn that the most far-reaching reforms of adult social care law in 60 years are needed to improve the lives of the most vulnerable citizens.

It will call for a code of practice to pave the way for a “more coherent” social care system.