Over 1.4 million requests for social care have been turned down since PM promise

Over 1.4 million requests for social care have been rejected since Boris Johnson made his promise to "fix social care for good" two years ago, according to new analysis by Age UK.

With the use of NHS Digital data, this new statistic equates to nearly 14,000 over 65s a week not getting the care and support they believe they need.

Age UK also found that in 24 per cent of cases, an older person was not eligible for their local council's criteria set for the social care system, and in 26 per cent of cases, when older people had been refused help, the local councils referred them to other services in the hope that they could assist them instead, including their local Age UK branch.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK said: “After all the recent media stories suggesting the government wanted to make an announcement about its social care proposals before recess it is very disappointing to have been let down once again.

“The fact we all now thoroughly used to being led down the garden path doesn’t make this latest disappointment any easier, especially when we consider the damaging impact on older people and their loved ones.

“These constant government delays carry a cost, and our new statistics show it is one paid above all by people who need care, vast numbers of whom are turned away when they approach their council for help. It’s easy to blame local authorities when this happens, but the responsibility lies squarely with central government."

'Councils can only provide a person with care when they have the funding to do so'

Data from the latest ADASS budget survey (4) shows all the indications throughout the pandemic show demand for care is high and rising. For example:

Two in three (67 per cent) of directors of social services say the number of people seeking support due to carer breakdown, sickness or unavailability of care has increased in their areas.

More than half (56 per cent) of directors report that the temporary closure of services, such as day services, has led to an increase in the number of people presenting with needs to their local authority.

More than half (53 per cent) of directors state that some care providers in their area have closed, ceased trading or handed back local authority contracts.

“Councils can only provide a person with care when they have the funding to do so, and when enough care staff can be sourced locally by care agencies to deliver it," says Ms Abrahams. "Both are now in increasing short supply in many places, making it harder than ever for older people to get the support they badly need.”

Age UK marked the second anniversary of the Prime Minister’s time in office by urging him, in a letter, to fulfil his promise to fix social care “once and for all”, and handing it in to 10 Downing Street last week.

This follows a poll recently carried out by YouGov for the 76 charities, including Age UK, who campaign together as the Care and Support Alliance, which found that more than four in five (83 per cent) of people want the Prime Minister to fulfil his pledge to “fix social care, once and for all”.

Ms Abrahams added: “It’s high time the Prime Minister followed through, and more than four in five of the English public agrees.”