Find out more about the national state of social care as part of the Local Account Summary.
The CQC’s State of Care Report in 2022 highlighted that the health and social care system is gridlocked and unable to operate effectively:
Most people are still receiving good care when they can access it, although this is less likely to be the case for people living in deprived areas, disabled people and people from ethnic minority groups. Too often, however, people just can’t access the care they need. Capacity in adult social care has reduced and unmet need has increased. During 2021/22 only two in five people were able to leave hospital when they no longer had a clinical reason to be there and these delayed transfers of care contributed to long ambulance handover delays, and people waiting longer than we would have liked in our emergency department for assessment and treatment.
Like other parts of the country, we have high numbers of vacancies in our health and care system as people leave to take up jobs in other sectors. This is creating challenges to recruit, and our high vacancy rates are having a direct impact on our ability to provide the safe consistent care we want to.
Recognising the challenges facing our health and care system, the government has embarked on a programme of reform. Its white paper, People at the heart of care, sets out the government’s ambitious 10-year vision to transform care and support in England based around three objectives:
Torbay offers a great quality of life for people and families, with a great natural environment on the English Riviera, a wide range of outdoor activities, excellent schools and a growing arts and cultural sector. Like other coastal communities, Torbay faces major challenges. Our Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) shows us where our major challenges lie: there is a six-year gap in life expectancy between different areas of the Bay. Torbay has the highest levels of deprivation in the South West. We have an ageing population which faces the challenges of ill-health, loneliness and frailty. The number of people older than 85 is expected to increase by more than 50% within the next decade or so. As our population ages, so too will the demand on our health and care system.
We also have high levels of children living in poverty, child and adult obesity, and suicide. Demands on limited housing options locally reflect National shortages leading to poorer living conditions for some which inevitably associated with poorer physical and mental wellbeing.
The level of need and inequality within the Bay has widened during the past 10 years and younger people and adults have higher levels of poor mental health and higher levels of drug and alcohol problems. There are higher incidences of younger people (under 18) with mental health problems and self-harm.
Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNA) help work together to understand and agree the needs of all local people, with the joint health and wellbeing strategy setting the priorities for collective action.