Statement from Martin Jones MBE, CEO Home Instead UK & International:

“The news that Lily, a 96-year-old woman deemed medically fit to return home, has instead been stuck in hospital for almost a year is both shocking and completely unsurprising. It’s shocking that in Britain in 2023 we are capable of treating people like this. And it’s unsurprising because we’ve been heading in this direction with inevitability for years.

“Lily has been stranded in hospital simply because there is no one to look after her at home. A chronic lack of community care provision across the UK is directly contributing to the current NHS crisis - and leaving people like Lily in this terrible situation. This is a systemic failure.  

“Successive governments have said they want to address the problem with greater resources and recruitment for the care sector - but then there’s always some more pressing crisis and the care problem just gets shelved again.

“But enough is enough. The horrifying case of Lily must be a wakeup call. The time to solve the UK’s care crisis is right now. We cannot let this happen any longer.

“Solutions are urgently needed but they will only happen if the entire health and social care sector collaborates more closely and more regularly. The home is a much-overlooked potential ally to the NHS - homes can be the hospitals of the future particularly when it comes to minor medical procedures and care of the elderly. Care teams are highly skilled and primely positioned in the heart of communities to provide consistent and quality care to a population that is increasingly needing more support.

“Despite our readiness and acutely relevant skillset to alleviate these pressures, we are seeing an increase in local authorities removing our care packages, often with vulnerable clients, quoting cost challenges or a refusal to pay our standard rates. We must recognise that continuity of quality care is a service requiring training, investment and agility – and that the private sector is well equipped with staff to address these NHS shortages. If we continue to focus on the short-term cost versus the long-term health and wellbeing of our ageing population, we will continue to neglect our responsibility to provide the best possible care to those who need it.

“Our teams around the UK have a unique insight into the pressure points and demand levels for support at home to enable patients to be discharged from hospital. A recent survey of our network has found that over two thirds (72%) of Home Instead offices say they have never been approached by local NHS trusts/ local councils to discuss or consult on social care issues regionally or nationally despite regular engagement.

“It is our hope that the sector finally recognises the critical role that private providers play an in offering choice to families and work alongside us to provide access and choice to older adults in their time of need”.