03.12.19
NHS Confederation: Social care action needed due to rise in help requests
Chief executive of the NHS Confederation, Niall Dickson, has responded to the recent release of NHS Digital’s Health Survey for England 2018 (released December 3, 2019) report, stating a greater need for social care action given the rise in requests for help.
NHS Confederation serve as a representative body for organisations across the healthcare sector.
Mr Dickson said: “These figures show that 72,000 more requests for social care support were made to local authorities in England in the last year [2018/19] and on top of that, around 1 in 4 adults over the age of 65 who need help with daily tasks such as washing, eating, getting dressed and taking medication continue not to get the support they need.
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“As well as being truly awful for the people affected, the impact on the NHS cannot be understated. 97% of health leaders we surveyed have said that the social care crisis is having a damaging effect on the NHS and on patient care.
“Creating a sustainable social care system must be a critical priority for the incoming Government. The issue has been ducked by politicians for far too long.”
The Health Survey for England (HSE) monitors trends in the nation’s health and care. It provides information about adults aged 16 and over, and children aged 0 to 15, living in private households in England.