Pensioners needing 24/7 care estimated to top one million by 2035

A new study reveals the number of over-65s in England in need of round-the-clock care will grow by a third to over one million by 2035 – while the number of over-85s in need of 24/7 support is expected to double to 446,000.

Meanwhile the state pension age is due to rise to 67 by 2028, and the researchers from Newcastle University and the London School of Economics warn this will shrink the “informal care workforce” of family and friend carers – and ministers must find a long-term solution to meet the increasingly wide-ranging care needs of this population. Nick Forbes, senior vice chairman of the LGA, commented: “This report is a further warning of the crisis in adult social care and the urgent need to plug the immediate funding gap and find a long-term solution on how we pay for it.”