Lengthening waiting lists

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.”

Similar Posts

  • Open Space Event

    Imagine the future of our dementia care community We were delighted with the response at our Open Space event last week. Thank you to everyone involved. Our next one will be held on: Thursday 19 May 10am-12noon: An Open Space event convened by the Journal for Dementia Care/Dementia Publishing and facilitated by Ladder to the Moon/Vibrant…

  • Young Dementia Network share animations to raise awareness of YOD

    The Young Dementia Network has created two animations to raise awareness of young onset dementia and specifically the challenges younger people face when living with dementia.  The animations feature the thoughts of people with young onset dementia and their family members gathered via a 3-question questionnaire. They are entitled ‘Share your experiences of young onset…

  • Care worker vacancies

    Figures from Skills for Care reveal that care worker vacancies have fallen from a historic high of 165,000 last year to just over 150,000. While the vacancy rate remains above pre-pandemic levels, it will provide some reassurance in a sector that has been struggling with skills shortages. Responding to the report, Nuffield Trust deputy policy…

  • House of Memories App updated

    House of Memories have worked with Forever Reds and Liverpool FC Foundation to create a new app package for Liverpool Football Club fans. Through capturing the sights and sounds of iconic matches, the ‘Liverpool FC Memories’ package in the My House of Memories app aims to connect fans with their sporting history.   The team behind the app worked with…

  • ARUK survey

    Less than half (49%) of people responding to an Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK) survey were able to name memory loss as an effect of dementia.  Nearly a quarter (22%) said they did not know how dementia affects people.  These findings emerged from a survey of 2162 people, which ARUK commissioned to support a new campaign…