Audit Commission report warns of growing elderly care costs

A new report from the Audit Commission, entitled ‘Under Pressure’, warns that local authorities are unaware of the spiralling care costs that will result from the UK’s ageing population.  The report predicts that councils will struggle to cope with a potential doubling of care costs by 2026 – accompanied by increasing pressure on their budgets and public spending cuts.  Local authorities are currently missing out on opportunities to plan for the future and make savings because they lack information about the ageing population in their respective areas.  By 2026, 40% of the UK’s population will be aged over 50, compared with 34% in 2009.  The Audit Commission recommends that councils start to make savings straightaway by investing in services such as housing and leisure and by working together to prevent the problems that lead to social care needs, such as poor housing and social isolation.  Audit Commission chairman Michael Higgins comments: ‘Innovative, personalised services mean older people stay independent longer, saving public money. There are huge financial pressures on councils in the years ahead, but re-designing services and exploiting technology can make them better, more efficient and more personal.’ A spokesperson for the Local Government Association defended the local authorities’ current position, arguing that ‘This report underestimates what is being done up and down the country to help improve the lives of older people.’  You can read the report at the Audit Commission’s website.