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Council cuts to care are 'major cause' of A&E crisis, says Age UK
Older people in England are being left "high and dry" by councils cutting back on the care they provide, the charity Age UK says. It said the cuts were one of the major causes behind the growing pressures on A&E units.
Research by the charity published by the BBC today (January 21) showed the numbers getting help has fallen from just over one million three years ago to 850,000 last year.
But councils said they had been left with little choice because they were "chronically underfunded". The overall cut in numbers getting help from councils represents a drop of one-fifth.
Fewer getting help with washing, dressing and meals on wheels
But the research - based on an analysis of official figures - also provided a detailed breakdown of which individual services had been cut.
It found between 2010-11 and 2013-14:
- The numbers getting help at home for tasks such as washing and dressing fell by a third to just over 370,000
- Day care places have dropped by two-thirds to just under 60,000
- The numbers getting meals on wheels fell to 29,500 - a decline of 64%
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