NHS Confederation - Plight of older carers an unseen social care scandal

19 Dec 2019 09:59 AM

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the healthcare sector, responded to new Age UK analysis of carers 

“The plight of older carers is one of the unseen scandals of our failing social care sector. They should be seen as a great resource who should be supported. Instead, too often they are left to fend on their own, neglected and unsupported. The result of course is that too often they end up being unable to cope.

“We need a system that does not leave it to the last possible moment before stepping in. And this matters as much to the NHS as it does to local government – health services are stretched to, and, in some cases, beyond the limit just now and that is partly because we lack the support services in the community.

“Health leaders have told us that the crisis in social care is a threat to patient safety, and no wonder.”

New AGE UK analysis finds our over 80s save Government £23 billion a year through the unpaid care they give loved ones