Council confronts looming older people's care 'crisis'

REPORT WARNS OF MASSIVE RISE IN NUMBERS NEEDING HELP

- By SIMON FINLAY

THE number of older people in Kent who need long-term nursing care is expected to rise by more than 50 per cent in the next five years with a huge potential cost to taxpayers.

Kent County Council's newly formed Reform UK administration is currently looking for ways to cut costs and increase efficiency but at this week’s meeting of the authority's adult social care and public health cabinet committee, members were warned that spending may need to rise to meet demand.

The meeting on Tuesday afternoon (July 8) was debating a decision on older persons residential and nursing care service in the county, with a new contract due to begin at the start of the next financial year on April 1, 2026.