The number of elderly people over 85 needing 24-hour care is set to double according to a report published in the Lancet. It analysed the health needs of the elderly up to the 2035.
446,000 is the number of people over 85 who will need ‘high dependency care by the year 2035
£7bn is the amount by which spending on social care by English councils has fallen in the past eight years
Professor Carol Jagger
As the senior author of the study, Professor Jagger found that the over 85s were generally in ill health and were a continuing problem for GPs.
She said, “One of the things we found from the study, for example, was that not a single one of our 85 year olds was free of disease. That doesn’t mean to say that they weren’t functioning well, but they all had some health problem, and on average they had four or five.”
She also voiced her concerns with regard to GP visits stating, “Now what does that mean for GPs, who generally want to deal with one problem per consultation? How do you manage an average 85 year old with four or five conditions?”
Simon Bottery – A senior fellow at the King’s Fund
He said that the study showed the pressure on social care services. “Above all,” he added, “it highlights the urgency of the challenge to reform social care and provide support to growing numbers of people in a way that is fairer and provides better quality but is also affordable in future.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said; “In the autumn we will set out our plans to reform adult social care alongside our long-term plan for the NHS, so we can address the challenge of our growing ageing population head on and ensure services are sustainable for the future.”