Councils struggling to provide elderly care

New research has claimed that four in five UK local authorities have insufficient care for older people in their area.

The Family and Childcare Trust Older People’s Care Survey 2016 research revealed that 6.4 million people aged 65 and over are living in areas that do not have enough older people’s care to meet demand, with the biggest shortages being experienced by the most vulnerable.

Gathering data from local authorities about local care costs and availability, the survey shows that while 84 per cent of local authorities in the UK said they had enough availability for care home places, that figure falls to 48 per cent for at home care, and 44 per cent for extra care homes.

Families navigating the patchy older people’s care system must also cope with wide regional variations in availability. While only 57 per cent of councils in the North East reported having enough older people’s care to meet demand in their area, that figure drops to seven per cent in Outer London.

The research also discovered that the average yearly rate for one residential care place in the UK funded by a local authority comes to £27,113. Additionally, local authorities in inner London face the steepest funding rates for residential care for older people at £649 a week per place –a whopping 40 per cent higher than the cheapest regional funding rate for residential care of £464 in North West England.

Claire Harding, head of Research, at the Family and Childcare Trust, said: “It is inexcusable that vulnerable people are left unable to find the care that they need. We urge government to make sure there is enough care for everyone who needs it. In order to do this, we need robust data on where there are gaps in care, a funding system that truly meets the cost of providing care, and clear information for families.

“Without these steps, families will continue to struggle to find care and to meet the numerous care costs on their shoulders.”

Meanwhile, BBC Panorama footage has uncovered ‘shocking neglect’ at two care homes in Cornwall.

Hidden camera footage recorded vulnerable people left unattended, including one left on a bedpan for 40 minutes, an out-of-date prescription supplement re-labelled for use by another resident and the threat of morphine being used to silence a resident.

The Panorama team raised safeguarding concerns with the local authority and the Morleigh Group, which runs the homes, said it had already identified problems, and that it had always acted quickly to improve care when asked to do so.