Social care cuts piling pressure on GPs

Almost 90% of GPs fear that social care services are not providing a sufficient level of care for patients leading to extra pressure on surgeries and other parts of the health system, according to a poll of over 800 GPs

Ahead of next week’s budget, the poll reveals deep concern from GPs about the impact of chronic underfunding and year-on-year rationing of social care at a time when more and more older and disabled people need support with things as basic as getting up, getting dressed and getting out of the house.

Key findings include:

• Almost nine out of ten GPs (88 percent) do not believe social care services currently provide a sufficient level of care for their patients.
• Nearly three quarters (71 percent) believe care services will worsen over the next two to three years.
• Almost nine in ten (88 percent) believe reductions in social care have contributed to the pressures faced in their surgeries.
• More than nine out of ten GPs (92 percent) do not believe there is a sufficient level of care provided to prevent patients presenting at A&E or for them to avoid delayed discharge from hospital.
• 85 percent of GPs believed that cuts to local authority budgets mean that there are less care and support services available now than five years ago.

The poll was commissioned by the Care and Support Alliance (CSA) – a coalition of more than 75 of the country’s major charities - who are campaigning, alongside the millions of older and disabled people and their carers, for a properly funded care system.

Social care provides support for older and disabled people to lead active lives and be part of the community. Without that support, people become isolated and often slip into crisis. In the UK, around one in three people rely on, or have a close family member that relies on, the care system.

The CSA argues that the care system is on its knees, with demand going up at the same time as chronic underfunding has seen fewer and fewer people getting support. Councils report that around £3.5bn has been taken out of the system since 2010, while LSE research has revealed that 500,000 people who would have got care in 2009 are no longer entitled to it.

The polling comes ahead of the Care Act coming into force on April 1 and as the Government is currently consulting on a cap on care costs.

Richard Hawkes, chair of the Care and Support Alliance, said:

“The care system is on its knees.

“The message from GPs is clear – cuts to social care have directly led to extra pressure on primary care as well as huge challenges for hospitals.

“As more and more of us need support fewer and fewer of us are getting it.

“Chronic underfunding has left hundreds of thousands of older and disabled people, who need support to do the basics, like getting up or out of the house, cut out of the care system.

“People become isolated, can’t live on their own and slip into crisis. As this polling shows, the impact is now being felt throughout the health service which is being forced to pick up the pieces. This also has a huge impact on carers, who we know are struggling right now.

“Ahead of next week’s budget, we believe the Government needs to commit to serious investment in care, as well as in the health system. As health experts argue, anything else is a false economy.”

Dr Jon Orrell, a practising GP from Dorset, added:

"The chronic underfunding of care combined with frozen health budgets means that my patients cannot get the health and social care support they need.

"There is a lot of magical thinking in official circles on solving this by integrating health and care budgets. While I am all for integration, joining the budgets of two underfunded organisations does not make a fully funded whole. The whole social care and health system needs enough money to keep up with inflation or patients will continue to suffer."

Separate polling carried out by YouGov of more than 4,000 people last year revealed that just one in four people believed that if they needed it, they would receive care that would allow them a good quality of life. Along with NHS, social care was seen as the biggest priority for where the electorate would want to see the Government increase expenditure.

For more information please contact either

James Gosling - Sense

0207 014 9379/07572 316670 /james.gosling@sense.org.uk

Warren Kirwan – Scope

020 7619 7702/ 07445 447617/ warren.kirwan@scope.org.uk

The Care and Support AllianceSet up in July 2009, the C&SA is a consortium of more than 75 organisations that represent and support older and disabled people, including disabled children, those with long-term conditions and their families, and campaigns to keep adult care funding and reform on the political agenda. http://careandsupportalliance.com/

The polling

Medeconnect polled 830 regionally representative GPs between 21 and 28 January 2015.

Social careThis is taken from the NHS explanation of social care:

“Some people need practical or emotional care or support to lead an active life and do the everyday things that most of us take for granted. The social care system provides this support for those who need it to help them keep their independence and dignity...

“…The adult social care department, part of your local authority’s social services, is responsible for assessing people’s need for ‘community care’ or ‘social care’ services. It arranges or provides these services, and might give financial support to meet certain needs.

“…Services provided can include: help in your home with things like cleaning and shopping; disability equipment and adaptations to your home; day centres to give you or the person who cares for you a break; day care for your child if either you or they are disabled; care homes; support for carers; financial support.”

Here’s the Government’s info on social care.

Care ActThe Care Act received Royal Assent on 14 May.