NHS crisis to be avoided if older people had better access to social care, report shows

A new report from Age UK – published today – displays if older people received better social care a future NHS winter crisis could be avoided.

Titled ‘Fixing the Foundations’, the new report by Age UK, a leading UK charity for older people, outlines too many elderly people are ‘badly let down’ and trapped in hospital because the services they need to remain independent are ‘under-resourced’.

A failure to invest properly in community and social care leads to repeat admissions that pile pressure on the NHS and make it more difficult for people of all ages to access operations and ambulances, the report adds.

One solution to this, Age UK states, is support must be delivered ‘proactively’ before an older person’s health majorly declines, reducing the need for them to go into hospital. 

Due to the current lack of external social care, hospital staff are unable to discharge patients, resulting in a backlog of hospital beds. The older persons charity has said accessing support has become ‘harder than ever’ and warns that when care for the elderly is ‘rationed’ it has a knock-on effect on the NHS.

Max Parmentier, CEO and Co-Founder of Birdie, a technology partner for homecare, said: Age UK’s recent report demonstrates how older adults are ‘let down’ by our faltering social care system. It is true; intentional social care reform has been dangerously delayed, and the sector remains structurally underfunded.

‘As a result, now 1.6 million older people are left unable to get the help they need. 70% of A&E beds are occupied by older adults – yet nearly half of these admissions could have been avoided if they’d had the option of effective preventative care at home.

‘Preventative care and early detection is where real, impactful change lies. It is possible to provide preventative care that supports older adults in their own homes and allows our hospitals to refocus on acute conditions.

‘The technology to facilitate preventative care exists, as does the readiness of the individuals delivering social care services to adopt it.’

Last month, an MP from Northamptonshire admitted technology can help discharge patients from hospital at a rapid rate. Dame Andrea Leadson paid a visit to the Oysta Head Office, where she witnessed how the leading healthcare technology organisation have helped the NHS to save over £200K by using their technologies to help patients at home. 

Photo by Huy Phan