CQC State of Care report shows that although some people are getting good care, the system is "straining at the seams" -Alzheimer's Society
Jeremy Hughes, CEO of Alzheimer’s Society, responds to the CQC State of Care report.
This year’s State of Care is not much to be celebrated. It is indeed a sad state of affairs when all we have to be thankful for is that performance in the health and care system hasn’t dramatically deteriorated.
Last year the CQC delivered the stark warning that social care was approaching “tipping point”. This went unheeded and we are in the midst of a crisis where one in eight older people are not receiving the help they need, the number of beds in nursing homes are decreasing and a lack of funding is seeing home care providers exit the market in droves. It is only down to the dedication and hard work of health and care staff that the whole service hasn’t buckled under the strain.
With continued political inertia, the care system is at real risk of collapsing. Vulnerable people with dementia deserve far better. For all those affected by dementia, the Government must act now to produce a long-term, sustainable plan to fix the broken social care system. We cannot wait another year and then see more people with dementia struggle or die under this failing system.
