Call for health spending to be diverted to elderly care

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-33018602

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Health spending should be frozen and funds diverted to improving care for the elderly, according to the body representing independent care services.

Scottish Care said investment in better social care for older people would improve their lives and cut help to cut emergency hospital admissions.

It has called on politicians to tackle the "taboo" of NHS expenditure.

The Scottish government has committed to getting people "the right care, in the right place, at the right time".

Scottish Care has published the findings of research that it commissioned ahead of its annual conference in Glasgow.

'Unnecessary' admissions

It found that in 2012-13, the average emergency hospital admission for over-65s lasted for 11.8 days, at an average cost of £4,846.

The umbrella body's report said that amount could fund either care at home for a week for 27.7 older people or 9.28 weeks in a residential care home for one pensioner.

It also highlighted that unscheduled admissions for over-65s amount to a third of the £4.5bn spent on health and social care for older people.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, Ranald Mair, chief executive of Scottish Care, said: "If we're going to manage to keep more people out of hospital, to maintain them in their own homes and also to prevent them going into long term care at an early stage, then we actually have to invest in home care.

"The danger at the moment is that we're continuing to invest in hospitals and as you know, all politicians want to be the defenders of the NHS.

"This isn't an attack on the NHS, let me be clear. If people need to go to hospital that's where they should be."

He added: "But what we know is that over 20% of admissions of older people to hospital are 'unnecessary' admissions.

"They're not going in because of their clinical needs, they're going in because of their circumstances and because of the lack of alternatives."

'Better provision'

The report for Scottish Care also found that more hours of care at home have been provided by fewer staff over the past decade while pay rates in the sector are below the Scottish average.

The Scottish government said it was committed to integrated partnerships for delivering services across health and social care.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: "Alongside the NHS, we are committed to ensuring that all patients have access to the right care, in the right place at the right time. In partnership with local government, we are integrating health and social care services to support better provision of care within communities and in people's homes.

"It is predicted that by 2037 the number of people with a long term condition will rise by 83% and what is clear is that the traditional models of care, where the NHS and the social care sector work independently of each other, are no longer suitable to effectively care for these people.

"Integration is one of the most ambitious programmes of work this government has undertaken, and one which is designed to deliver sustainable health and social care services for the future that are centred around peoples' needs."