Unprecedented pressures on adult social care are resulting in waiting lists that are growing by 600 people a day, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) said.
According to ADASS, almost 300,000 people are now waiting for an assessment of their needs by social workers, up by 44% in five months. One in four have been waiting longer than six months.
These findings come on top of the ADASS Spring Survey, published earlier, which revealed that 82% of councils were dealing with increased referrals of people leaving hospital and 74% were reporting more referrals or requests for support from the community.
Nearly 70% of councils surveyed said that care providers locally had closed or handed back contracts, while many more said they could not meet needs because of an inability to recruit and retain care staff.
“These new findings confirm our worst fears for adult social care,” said ADASS president Sarah McClinton. “The picture is deteriorating rapidly and people in need of care and support to enable them to live full and independent lives are being left in uncertainty, dependency and pain.”