Care spending fallen by a fifth in England

Spending on care for people aged 65 and over has fallen by a fifth in England over the last 10 years, analysis by the BBC shows today (28 January 2015). The research showed £1,188 was being spent in 2003-4 per person over the age of 65. By 2013-14 that had fallen to £951 - a drop of 20 per cent.

This research come as the BBC launches its Cost of Care project, which includes an online guide to how care works and what it costs.

George McNamara, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Alzheimer'sSociety said:

'In recent months the NHS' ability to cope with ever-increasing demand has been fundamentally called into question. To find the cause of this current crisis you need look no further than today's announcement that social care spending has fallen by a fifth in ten years. Invaluable services that help vulnerable older people stay independent and out of hospital are being cut to the bone leaving thousands of people with dementia without support.

'The human and economic impact of dementia is truly staggering. It costs the UK in excess of £26 billion a year, which equates to £30,000 per person with dementia every year. Most striking of all is that people with dementia, their carers and families shoulder two-thirds of the cost themselves.

'We urge all three parties to take action to address the historic underfunding of social care and respond to the challenges of an ageing population'.

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