Older people are the biggest users of the NHS, accounting for 75% of activity. They occupy 60% of hospital beds, according to figures from the charity Age UK, and it is estimated that their health and social care needs alone account for most of the £70bn spent each year on patients with long-term conditions.
With the number of people aged over 85 expected to double in the next 25 years, it is crucial that the NHS of the future has the capacity to cope with the increased demands that this group of patients will bring. But do the planned changes for England outlined in the government's health and social care reforms offer older people the prospect of improved services in the new-look NHS? And will the reforms produce a more integrated health and social care landscape, which encourages more holistic and seamless care for these elderly and vulnerable patients?
These were some of the issues at the heart of a roundtable debate hosted by the Guardian and sponsored by the independent care home provider Barchester Healthcare, which looks after more than 10,000 older people across England, Scotland and Wales. The event was held under the Chatham House rule, which allows comments to be reported without attribution to encourage free debate.
Full Article on Guardian Social Care Network
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