BGS responds to new Age UK briefing on the state of health and care of older people

The BGS has responded to the Age UK report, State of Health and Care of Older People, published today.

The briefing, which examines the pressures faced by health and care services in England since the COVID pandemic, identifies that hospitals and other health and care services for older people are continuing to experience increased demand.

It calls for increased capacity in primary and community care services, reducing the need for older people to visit hospital.

The charity warns that the downward trends highlighted in the report "cannot be ignored" as the population ages. 

BGS President, Professor Adam Gordon, said:

We welcome Age UK’s report although it makes grim reading. It rightly identifies that older people are currently being let down by NHS and social care services. Older people are the biggest users of health and social care and it is clear that their health and wellbeing are being poorly served. There should be a much greater focus on prevention and early intervention via community services. We are particularly concerned about the number of older people being admitted or re-admitted to acute care as an emergency, many of whom then get stuck in hospital despite being medically stable for discharge. 

We support Age UK’s call for services providing treatment and support closer to home, such as Hospital at Home/virtual wards or urgent community response. We know services such as this are operational in some parts of the country but provision is far from consistent. The recently-published NHS Workforce Plan highlights the need for multidisciplinary teams skilled in caring for older people with frailty and long-term conditions. Recruiting and training these, including efforts to increase the number of trained geriatricians, must be a priority. But this must be matched with sustainable reform of the social care system, so that older people’s care needs can be fully met. 
 
We join with Age UK in calling for government investment in joined-up care for older people, enabling them to stay well for longer at home and reducing their reliance on crisis health care in hospitals. "