New analysis by Age UK shows that 2 million older people in England are now living with some unmet need for social care, a figure that is steadily rising. In 2016 Age UK found that 1.2m older people were not getting the social care they need, a figure that was up 48% from 2010.
The 2024 data shows that of older people aged 65:
- 10% (1.1 million) of older people have difficult dressing
- 5% (500,000) of older people have difficulty walking across a room
- 6% (640,000) of older people have difficulty bathing
- 1% (140,000) of older people have difficulty eating
- 6% (600,000) of older people have difficulty getting in and out of bed
- 4% (440,000) of older people have difficulty going to the toilet
The charity’s report: The State of Health and Care of Older People in 2024 says England’s health and care services continue to be under enormous pressure so that, despite the best efforts of many dedicated staff, they are currently unable to meet the needs of older people who require treatment, care and support.
The report does, however, show that significant numbers of emergency hospital admissions could be avoided if the right kind of help was provided earlier on, before relatively minor health problems develop into full scale crises.
Age UK warn that very old people aged over 80 are often not getting the good and timely NHS treatment, care and support. 28% are living with some unmet need for social care, and the very old are the most likely to experience long waits in A&E, having arrived there by ambulance, with many having complex health and care needs the system is often unable to meet.
Age UK say there are some isolated, excellent examples of good practice which could be scaled up, possibly via the NHS Ten Year Plan. The charity calls for earlier intervention and better joined up working, so older people in declining health can be identified and assessed, and benefit from proactive support. Age UK press release.
