Timebomb of ageing nation

THERE is only one problem with the warning from the House of Lords Committee on Demographic Change with regard to the challenges presented by our ageing population – it has come several years too late.

The issues it refers to in terms of the likely impact on public services are already apparent, not least in the strain being placed on healthcare provision and the inability of many of our hospitals to provide adequate care for the elderly – a shortcoming highlighted so starkly by the scandal at Mid Staffordshire which resulted in scores of needless deaths.

While the Lords’ report rightly sets out the case for radical reform of the NHS and social care system in order to cope with the changed pattern of ill health presented by a rapidly ageing populace, it is notable that it neglects to explain how exactly this will be funded.

Though the gift of longer life is undoubtedly to be welcomed, it is this financial burden that represents the greatest single challenge of a demographic shift that has not taken place overnight but occurred over several decades, providing an opportunity to plan for this scenario which successive, short-sighted governments have neglected to take.

The result is that it is the public who have been left to pay the price, with poor pension provision and plunging interest rates in the wake of recession leaving many wondering how they will finance their retirement, or even if they will ever be able to retire at all. With Yorkshire set to experience a near 50 per cent leap in the number of people aged 65 and over between now and 2030, the time for action is long overdue if people are to sustain a good quality of life into their dotage.

The committee’s recommendation that a pair of cross-party commissions be established to examine the twin areas of healthcare and financial planning has some merit – even if  it is scandalous that such  a framework is not already in place.

However, if real progress is to be made, then it is imperative that these bodies do not simply become talking shops, advocating much but doing little.

Our ageing population is a ticking timebomb – one that should have been defused long before now – and further failure to address it will have serious, life-changing repercussions for every one of us.