Current adult social care delivery questioned

New research by Younifi has revealed that UK citizens believe there must be a better way to deliver care to adults and the elderly.

The local authority solution provider surveyed 2,000 people, including those who receive care and family and friends that provide care, about the future of the adult social care system, with the majority of respondents desiring a better way for their care needs to be met.

The findings showed that 78 per cent of people caring for others believe there must be a better way to deliver care to adults and the elderly, while 23 per cent of those receiving care feel they know enough about the types of services on offer to enable them to make informed decisions about care choices in the future.

Of further concern, only 40 per cent of carers consider themselves to be knowledgeable enough to navigate the system, with only 12 per cent claiming to have sufficient knowledge to make decisions on the right choice of care for their family member or friend.

The research also analysed the cost of care, discovering that 71 per cent of care recipients have no idea how much the cost of their care is, and only 27 per cent of care providers claiming to have a ‘fairly accurate’ or precise understanding of costs.

Tony Pilkington, managing director at Younifi said: “It’s abundantly clear that those currently in receipt of care, or providing it want to see a change to the way care is delivered and managed. It’s extremely concerning that both care recipients and their carers have so little knowledge as to the care options available to them or what their current care packages cost. However, this comes as no surprise, as it’s often the case that those in need of care will just accept what they are offered without realising there are other options available to them.

“This lack of knowledge about the care landscape is significantly hindering many people from optimising their quality of life, particularly in their old age. Illustrating the need for improved knowledge and information, a recent report from SOCITM said that half of councils fail to provide good online service for social care support – the public appetite is there so we are failing to meet expectations.”