11.06.12
Social care for elderly ‘at risk’, charity warns
Elderly people’s health is being put at risk due to a lack of social care support, the British Red Cross has warned. The charity polled 200 doctors and 2,200 members of the public to identify availability and quality of social care provided.
Almost nine out of 10 GPs agreed that elderly people’s health was at risk and they face increased levels of isolation. 80% of the public polled said that standards were being driven down.
British Red Cross proposed that a preventative approach to health and social care could save the NHS up to £10,000 per patient due to avoided hospital and residential care admissions.
Sir Nick Young, chief executive of the British Red Cross, said: “We all know budgets are tight but cuts and under-investment to lower-level home-based care which jeopardise patients’ wellbeing and dignity must be challenged.
“The practical and emotional support these services offer often makes the difference between coping or not, between independence or desperation, and between remaining healthy for as long as possible or rapidly deteriorating into crisis.
“As politicians prepare to debate the future of social care it is vital they have the courage to think beyond the short-term and rethink the way care is delivered, prioritising vital preventative care which supports people to live with dignity and confidence in their own homes.”
A Department of Health spokesman said: “We agree that it is false economy to provide fewer services to the most vulnerable. The changes to the NHS and social care system aim to focus care on individuals' needs, and some councils are already taking a more innovative approach through telehealth and telecare.
“In the spending review, the Government recognised the pressures on the adult social care system, and took the decision to prioritise adult social care by allocating an additional £7.2bn up to 2014/15.”
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