The problems with the current social care system (19 January 2025)

Summary

Adult social care covers a large range of services given to the frail and disabled, from home visits to end-of-life care.

The sector employs 1.6 million people in England (about the same as the NHS). There are many concerns about the sector: staff shortages, low pay, rising costs, poor conditions, patchy quality etc. But with a rapidly ageing society, the main area of worry is old-age care, and how to pay for it.

The NHS Confederation estimated that in 2019/20 alone, 855,000 emergency admissions to hospital of older people could have been avoided with the right care at the right time. And as of September 2024, 13% of NHS hospital beds were occupied by people waiting for social care.