More working age adults in need of social care

Bristol City Council spent £198m on adult social care last financial year

More working age adults in Bristol are now in need of social care and support than elderly people, new figures have revealed.

Bristol City Council supported more than 5,500 adults in the last financial year and said 2,774 were adults of working age, compared to 2,754 of those over 65.

Due to rising rates of disability over the past decade, there are now slightly more people aged 18 to 64 in Bristol needing care than those aged 65 or over, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The council spent £198m on adult social care in the last financial year, including £105m on adults aged under 65 and £86m on adults aged 65 or over.

The remainder of the money was spent on employee costs, working with young people who were about to leave care and "other" costs.

Adult social care services account for 45% of the council's day-to-day spending.

As well as the change in age demographic, more people are now being supported at home rather than in care homes, the council's adult social care policy committee was told.

'Change in demographic'

Speaking at a meeting on 1 July, Hugh Evans, executive director of adults and communities, said: “For the first time in the last few years, there’s been quite a significant increase in the number of those under the age of 65.

"Now we’re about 50/50. Five years ago, before Covid, it was about 40% under 65s.

"That shows quite a significant change in demographic need in the city. It shows that we’ve got a relatively young population.”

According to the Kings Fund, a health think tank, the rise in disability among working age adults is reflected across the country.

There were 14.8m people who reported a long-term health condition in 2022–23, compared to 11.7m in 2013 -14.

Over the same period, the number of people reporting a severe disability jumped up to four million, up from 2.9m.