Summary
Topics relating to an ageing population, which have been barely touched upon by the main 2017 Election Party Manifestos, are said to include:
- Future projections for the mounting scale of the ageing population.
- An estimated £3 to 3.5 billion worth of benefits unclaimed by older persons eligible to receive them.
- The continuing divide and disparities between social care versus health care provision and funding.
- The likelihood that none of the parties are prepared to spend enough on the NHS to keep pace with rising costs and demand (according to a recent Nuffield Trust analysis).
- An alleged plague of loneliness and social isolation, affecting the elderly disproportionately.
- The societal costs of rising life expectancy.
- Delays in tackling pension fraud / “pension cold calling” scams in the financial services sector.
- Persistent aspects of pensioner poverty.
- Lower levels of computer literacy and access to the benefits offered by the internet
“ …one in six of the population is over the age of 65. Within three decades that will rise to one in four”.
Reference
Peachey, K. [and] Triggle, N. (2017). Election 2017: Older age – the white-hot issues not even being discussed. London: BBC Election 2017 News / BBC Health News, June 1st 2017.
Challenging times ahead?
Reference
Pym, H. (2017). Is NHS rationing a possibility? London: BBC Health News, June 7th 2017.
Surgery Weight Restrictions / Rationing?
More on the rationing of non-urgent operations (elective surgery):
Reference
Triggle, N. (2017). NHS ‘rationing leaves patients in pain’. London: BBC Health News, July 5th 2017.
Further investigation into said rationing:
Reference
Reality Check: Are surgery weight restrictions on the rise? London: BBC Reality Check Team / BBC Health News, December 26th 2017.