An alliance of leading charities is calling on UK party leaders to give the NHS a properly funded social care system for its 75th birthday.

The Care and Support Alliance (CSA) represents over 60 of England’s leading charities campaigning for a properly funded care system alongside the millions of older people, disabled people and their carers.

The message from the CSA highlights, in its opinion, that the neglect of the social care sector is becoming increasingly unsustainable and is only exacerbating the challenges faced by the NHS.

Unplanned admissions

According to the CSA, all too often, older and disabled people are ending up in hospital because they are not receiving the joined up, preventive health and care services they need to help them manage at home.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) reports that around half a million people may be waiting either for an adult social care assessment, for care or a direct payment to begin, or for a review of their care.

In the first three months of 2022, 2.2 million hours of homecare could not be delivered because of insufficient workforce capacity, leading to unmet and under-met needs.

Unless this is resolved, the CSA suggests that the number of unplanned hospital admissions will continue to rise – piling yet more pressures on the NHS.

Delayed discharge

The CSA has also highlighted the difficulties the NHS often experiences discharging older and disabled people from hospital because the right care packages aren’t in place.

According to NHS data, in December 2022, an average of 13,440 patients a day remained in hospital despite no longer meeting the criteria to stay. This is 30% more than the December 2021 daily average of 9,150.

Although the current NHS England data does not attribute responsibility for discharge delays, NHS England suggests around 24% of patients with delayed discharges are waiting for home care, 16% are awaiting a care home place and 24% are waiting for intermediate care.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director of Age UK and Care and Support Alliance Co-chair, said,

‘The 75th birthday of the NHS is a momentous occasion, and opportunity to celebrate the incredible work its staff do day in day out.

‘But the NHS is struggling, short of staff and short of beds, culminating in the longest waiting lists in its history.

‘It is important for politicians to recognise just how much harder the situation is being made by the lack of social care available to prevent unplanned admissions and allow people to be safely discharged. The financial cost is staggering, but the human cost is arguably even greater, with many older and disabled people finding this means their recovery and rehabilitation is seriously delayed or in the worst cases, completely unattainable.

‘The impact is also felt by the rest of the population, who face hours of delay at A&E departments as they wait for a bed to become available or are languishing on a waiting lists to see a specialist or have an operation.

‘As the population ages, and as more people live longer with multiple, complex, conditions, the neglect of social care is becoming increasingly unsustainable and is only exacerbating the challenges faced by the NHS.

‘That’s why the best gift the NHS could receive on its 75th birthday is a properly funded social care system. This would not only be hugely important for millions of older and disabled people and their carers who deserve decent care but would also reduce the demand on the NHS, so that it can concentrate on tackling record high waiting lists for the benefit of all.’

The CSA’s birthday message to party leaders
Happy 75th Birthday to the National Health Service (NHS)!

Treating over a million people a day in England, the NHS touches all our lives, and none of us can imagine life without it. A crucial part of the own ongoing health of the NHS is having a social care system that ensures people get the care they need that means they keep healthy and independent for as long as possible.

The best 75th birthday present that the NHS could receive is a commitment from all political parties to reform and properly fund social care. 

But as our population ages, with more people living longer with multiple, complex conditions, the neglect of social care is becoming increasingly unsustainable and exacerbating the challenges faced by the NHS.

A&E departments are seeing increasing numbers of people admitted because they aren’t receiving the care and support they need to remain independent at home. And once they are in hospital, it becomes increasingly difficult to discharge them because the right care packages aren’t in place. It’s a vicious circle that’s causing significant heartache and distress to service users – and huge difficulties for the NHS too.

A reformed and properly funded social care system would not only be hugely helpful to millions of older and disabled people and their carers who deserve decent care but would also reduce the pressure on the NHS, so that it can concentrate on tackling record high waiting lists for the benefit of all.