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The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has released its annual State of Health Care and Adult Social Care in England 2024/25 report, highlighting continuing pressures across the health and care system — pressures that directly affect older people, particularly those living with dementia or recovering after a hospital stay.
The CQC’s report paints a concerning picture of a system that is struggling to meet people’s needs in a timely and coordinated way. It points to ongoing workforce shortages, financial challenges, and fragmented pathways between health and social care — all of which make it harder for older people to get the right support, at the right time, and in the right place.
Among the groups most affected are older adults, people with dementia, and those with complex health conditions who often find themselves caught between hospital and home, unable to access appropriate care packages or residential placements quickly enough.
For charities such as Broadening Choices for Older People, these findings reflect the challenges seen across the not-for-profit care sector. Many residents in our nursing homes are admitted through Continuing Health Care (CHC) funding, which helps to prevent delayed discharges and avoid unnecessary readmissions by ensuring people receive timely nursing and rehabilitation support in a safe, caring environment. Effective partnership between hospitals, commissioners and not-for-profit care providers is essential to helping older people recover well, regain independence, and reduce pressure on acute services.
The National Care Forum (NCF) – the leading association for not-for-profit social care providers – welcomed the CQC’s analysis but warned of the increasing fragility of care and support services if reform continues to stall.
Vic Rayner OBE, Chief Executive of NCF, said the report contained “no major surprises” and urged government to ensure that investment in prevention and community support becomes a priority:
“If the government is serious about its three-fold shift to prevention, it must ensure investment reaches the community care and support services that people need to live well,” Rayner said. “When resourced and organised properly, care and support enables people to live the lives they want, supports them to access wider community and health services at an earlier stage, and helps them retain their independence for longer – this ultimately reduces demand on acute services.”
She also called attention to the growing need for joined-up commissioning between the NHS and local government, ensuring that care providers are seen as essential partners in supporting people beyond hospital discharge and throughout later life.
“The adult social care system needs a strong infrastructure to support people, and providers alone can’t fix that. Local government and NHS commissioners must play their part,” Rayner added. “These lessons must be taken on board by the Casey Commission as it lays out a vision for what a National Care Service might look like.”
BCOP is a member of NCF.