Section 12:
The current and future demands on the care industry
[NOTE – perhaps this could be an infographic or something quite engaging, as a bit of a visual round up of trends / future challenges etc.?]
- Longer life expectancy (due to better health care and healthier lifestyles) especially for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions is resulting in a greater demand for social care services.
- The care industry is particularly affected by the ageing population.
- The number of people aged 65 and over in England will increase by 65% from 8.2 million to 13.4 million between 2007 and 2032.
- Malaysia is expected to become an aged nation in 2030. 15% of the total population will be those aged 60 years and older
How will care be delivered? And who will provide it?
- Care for older people relies on both the unpaid care of families and other carers alongside publicly and privately funded social care services.
- An ageing population and less reliance on informal care from family members due to various reasons have resulted in an increased demand for social care staff.
- The number of paid adult social care jobs in 2025 could increase from the current 1.52 million to between 1.82 and 2.34 million; this is an increase of between 20% and 54% (Size and Structure of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England 2014)
Key challenges for the care sector
- New workers are required to keep up with the increasing demand
- Vacancy rates are high
- Staff retention is poor – stretching the numbers of workers required to keep up with demand, even further
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