Age UK's response to the NHS Plan

Age UK's response to the NHS Long Term Plan 

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said:

“So far as older people are concerned this new NHS Plan rightly focuses on improving the support for them at home, whether they are living in their own accommodation or a care home. We hope this means that over time, fewer older people will end up in hospital or if they do have to be admitted that they get out again speedily, increasing their chances of making a good recovery.

“Older people who are unwell or whose health is fragile often need social care to help them with daily essentials like washing and eating, so this Plan will only really work if there’s a lot more high quality social care on offer than is the case today. It is not in the gift of the NHS to sort out the mess social care is in, this is the Government’s responsibility, so the onus is now on Ministers to get the job done. In particular, the Chancellor must agree to fund social care properly because chronic underfunding, over many years, is the root cause of the pretty terrible state social care is now in.”

“Older people have a lot to gain from this NHS Plan and it will be terribly sad, as well as a shocking waste of public money, if ongoing Ministerial dithering on Social Care means the very positive initiatives the Plan sets out to help them cannot be put into effect”.