Delays in accessing social care in Wales are reducing but remain too long – new report

Council initiatives to cut waiting times for older people needing social care in Wales are beginning to have an impact however, 24% of older people are still waiting more than 30 days for a social care assessment, according to Age Cymru.

The charity’s third annual report on delays in accessing social care in Wales for people aged 55 and over has recorded the longest wait being 639 days. While one in six (16%) are waiting more than 30 days for a social care package to be implemented.

The report, Why Are We Still Waiting? (WAWSW) says the challenge facing local authorities in Wales remains high as its’ report found that individual older people have increasingly complex needs and as the population ages service providers will have to continue to adapt their services.

WAWSW also found that communication from councils with older people and their families must also improve as there were instances where people were not given the right information when they first approached social care which meant they didn’t get the appropriate help when they needed it.

It also uncovered poor communication between hospital and social care staff which meant that some older people remained in hospital longer than needed, making an already difficult time for older people and their families unduly stressful.

Significant improvements

The report’s author, Age Cymru Policy Officer Helen Twidle, welcomed efforts made by councils to tackle the challenge of providing social care to an ageing population with complex care needs but called for significant improvements in many areas.

She said: “Local authorities need to focus on those individuals who are waiting more than 30 days to have a care package in place as a person’s mental and physical health can deteriorate rapidly while they wait for support.

“There also needs to be a focus on how information is communicated to older people and their families, especially around the complexities of charging.

“Regional Partnership Boards, local authorities and third sector services need to work better together to improve the availability of earlier intervention and prevention support for older people.”

‘More to do’

Minister for Social Care, Dawn Bowden, said: “I am pleased that waiting times for older people needing social care in Wales have fallen over the last 12 months, however we are aware there is much more to do.

“We remain committed to improving outcomes for older people through early intervention and integrated care in the community, with more than £145 million provided to local authorities, health boards and third sector organisations through the Regional Integration Fund. Our investment into creating Age Friendly communities is also enabling more older people to be active in their local communities and to access a range of healthy ageing activities.

“We will continue to work with Age Cymru to understand the experiences of older people accessing social care and to ensure they can access the support they need when they need it.”