Britain Facing Social Care 'Time-bomb' with Thousands of People Underprepared to Look After Themselves in Old Age

Chertsey, England (ots/PRNewswire) -

Experts say the knock-on effect of lack of planning for later
life, as highlighted in poll conducted for this year's ASTELLAS
INNOVATION DEBATE[TM],will further impact upon stretched NHS
resources

Results from a new survey for the annual Astellas Innovation
Debate have demonstrated how people are still not preparing
financially for residential care in older age, with over two-thirds
(68 per cent) of people questioned saying they are expecting the
Government to fund high quality residential care in later life[1].
Despite only 21 per cent believing elderly residential care will
actually be provided by the state when they need it[1], people admit
that they are not planning to pay for care themselves, with one in
eight expecting their children to cover the costs and 30 per cent
willing to accept lower quality state social care[1]. Just ten per
cent say they would use a private insurance policy to pay for care
home bills.

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Experts say the knock-on effect of this lack of planning will only
add further pressure to the current adult social care system, as well
as send ripples right across the NHS. Former Government Health
Minister and MP, the Rt Hon Paul Burstow comments, "The NHS can only
be sustainable if there is a functioning social care system too.
Hospitals sit in a complex and increasingly fragile ecology. The poll
for the debate reveals a worrying fatalism about the state of social
care. A bankrupt care system will undermine the NHS".

Current shortages in elderly care cost the NHS £669 million
according to an Age UK study[2]. In October 2015, the number of bed
days lost due to delayed transfer of care peaked at 160,094[3]
leading to NHS England Chief Executive, Simon Stevens, calling for an
urgent political consensus on paying for elderly and social care
earlier this year[4].

With the number of people aged 85 or over projected to almost
double in the next 20 years[5], the current system pressures are only
set to increase. Sir David Nicholson, former Chief Executive of the
NHS comments, "The NHS and social care are two sides of the same coin
one cannot be successful at the cost of the other. People do not fit
into bureaucratic compartments and neither should funding".

The survey also revealed a significant lack of awareness among the
general public about the cost of health and social care[1]. Almost a
third (29 per cent) of those surveyed thought a day in a residential
care home costs less than £70 per day when the actual cost averages
at approximately £97 per day, with some nursing homes charging up to
£128[6]. The findings follow a government announcement that a pledge
to cap residential care costs at £72,000 per person has been pushed
back to 2020[7].

How the NHS - and other Global health systems - are planning to
meet the increasing demand on services caused by the growth in our
ageing population is the theme for this year's Astellas Innovation
Debate entitled, 'Situation Critical'.

As part of this year's debate, we created a new animated film
which explores the relationship between ageing and healthcare costs -
looking at the impact a single family has on the UK system. This
film is available online here
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nOZYGahAU4).

Follow the debate on Twitter via @AstellasINNOV8
(https://twitter.com/AstellasINNOV8) or join in the conversation at
#innovatedebate

About The Astellas Innovation Debate:

The annual ASTELLAS INNOVATION DEBATE brings together some of the
world's most progressive thinkers to discuss the role of innovation
in addressing the greatest challenges of our time. Previous debates
have focused on innovation in a time of austerity, population ageing,
and what the DNA and data revolutions mean for our health.
World-leading experts such as Nobel Laureates Professor Sir Andre
Geim and Dr Elizabeth Blackburn; Lord Robert Winston; Professor John
Appleby; Dr Leroy Hood; Baroness Helena Kennedy; Professor Lionel
Tarrasenko and Professor Rolf Stahel have tackled some of the biggest
challenges affecting science and scientific discovery.

This year, broadcaster and presenter Jonathan Dimbleby will chair
a panel of world-leading experts for the fourth ASTELLAS INNOVATION
DEBATE - Situation Critical: Making Healthcare Fit for the Future,
taking place on Thursday 25th February 2016 at the Royal Institution
of Great Britain.

In front of an invited audience of key figures from the worlds of
science, medicine, politics and business, they will debate the
biggest questions about the future of healthcare. Professor Trisha
Greenhalgh is a Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences, Nuffield
Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, and
one of this year's panellists who will be debating the following
critical questions:

- What role can innovation play in the drive for affordable
healthcare?
- What can we learn from healthcare reforms in different countries?
- Should we expect less from the state and take more responsibility
for our own health?
- Is privatisation the key to improved productivity - or a threat to
the principle of healthcare for all?
- Should we simply pay more tax?

About Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd.

Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. operates in 40 countries across
Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and is the EMEA regional business
of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc (Astellas). Astellas is a
pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people
around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable
pharmaceuticals. The organisation's focus is to deliver outstanding
R&D and marketing to continue growing in the world pharmaceutical
market. Astellas' presence in Europe also includes an R&D site and
three manufacturing plants. The company employs over 4,500 people
across the EMEA region.

References:

1. Astellas Data on File, Astellas Innovation Debate combined survey
findings - APEL/15/0097/EU
2. Age UK. Escalating social care crisis in England. Available online
via (Accessed 9 February 2016): http://www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-pre
ss/archive/age-uk-show-an-escalating-social-care-crisis-in-england
/
3. The Guardian. Unblocking beds: One hospital's efforts get patients
home. Available online via (Accessed 9 February 2016): http://www
.theguardian.com/society/2016/feb/02/unblocking-beds-one-hospitals
-efforts-get-patients-home
4. The Guardian. NHS chief demands political consensus on funding
elderly and social care. Available online via (Accessed 9 February
2016): http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jan/18/this-is-nhs
-chief-demands-political-consensus-funding-elderly-and-social-care
5. Age UK. Later Life in the United Kingdom: Factsheet. Available
online via (Accessed 9 February 2016): http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Do
cuments/EN-GB/Factsheets/Later_Life_UK_factsheet.pdf?dtrk=true
6. Social Care Institute for Excellence. How much does care cost.
Available online via (Accessed 9 February 2016): http://www.scie.
org.uk/findmegoodcare/advice-and-guidance.aspx?ID=25&careID=42
7. BBC News. Care costs cap delayed until 2020. Available online via
(Accessed 9 February 2016):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-33552279

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Contact:
Emma White
Communications Manager
Astellas Pharma EMEA
Mobile: +44-(0)7786-312-623
Email: emma.white@astellas.com