Public satisfaction with social care is at an all-time low as a shock report reveals that older people are waiting six months for essential care

Public satisfaction with social care has reached an all-time low, with older people now routinely forced to wait months for essential care, devastating new figures show.

More than half of Britons (57 percent) say they are ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ dissatisfied with social care, while only 13 percent are ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ satisfied.

The findings from the British Social Attitudes survey of more than 3,000 people show a decline in satisfaction from 14 percent the year before.

Sentiment is also down from 30 percent in 2012 when the question was first asked, albeit in a slightly different form.

A separate study shows that older people in Bath and North East Somerset have to wait an average of 149 days (around five months) for care.

Data from 85 local authorities provided to the Department of Health and Social Care shows that the average waiting time is 50 days, while 25 local authorities have an average waiting time of two months or more and only three local authorities report a waiting time of less than ten days.

Councils requested by Ministers will provide the total time from an individual’s first request for eligibility assessment to the start of service.

The service can be a care package, a direct payment for their care or other support.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: ‘We routinely hear from older people and their families who are desperate because of the long wait for a care assessment or services.

‘Waiting times of several months are unfortunately not unusual, although there appears to be a pronounced postcode lottery, which reinforces the feeling of unfairness.’

The wait time data, obtained by the Health Service Journal under Freedom of Information laws, covers January to March last year and does not include anyone who was turned away.

The figures are not routinely collected or published and, unlike healthcare, there are no waiting periods or standard ways of recording them.

The BSA research, published by think tanks Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund, found that people who had used or interacted with social services in the past 12 months had greater dissatisfaction (64 percent) than those who had had not done (49 percent). ).

The main reason for dissatisfaction was inadequate wages, working conditions and training for social workers (57 percent), followed by people not receiving the social care they need (56 percent) and insufficient support for unpaid carers (49 percent). ).

Simon Bottery, senior fellow in social care at The King’s Fund, said the results were “appalling” but “unfortunately not surprising”.

He added: ‘Governments have failed to take enough action on social care for years and this is now having serious consequences for those who rely on services, the families who support them and the staff working in the sector.

‘The results demonstrate the need for immediate action to stabilize the social care system, supported by long-term reforms and investments.

‘The next government must take a strong step forward and prioritize social care.’

Cyril Lobont, researcher at the Nuffield Trust, said: ‘The results make it clear that too many people with care needs and their families are still struggling to access a reasonable level of support.

“Politicians from all parties must make reversing this record low satisfaction a priority.

“What is currently left of the postponed reform plans would hardly stabilize the sector, let alone deliver the improvements that are so desperately needed.”

The most recent survey was conducted in September and October last year (2023) and included 3,374 people in England, Scotland and Wales.

Social care is a devolved matter for governments in Scotland and Wales.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: ‘We want everyone who needs it to have access to high quality care. That’s why we’re investing up to £700 million in a major transformation of the adult social care system, including leveraging technology. and adapting people’s homes so they can live independently.

‘We are reshaping careers in social care with training to improve retention and, for the first time ever, a clear career path and a new accredited qualification to give the profession the recognition it rightly deserves.

“We have also made available up to £8.6 billion of additional funding over two financial years to support adult social care and discharge.”

Asked about one of the longest waiting times for care (89 days), an East Sussex County Council spokesperson said: ‘It is not possible to fairly compare local authorities due to the different ways in which the data is recorded.

‘Like all local authorities responsible for adult social care, we have been affected by increased demand for services in recent years, in addition to reductions in government funding and rising costs.’