How retirement living can help alleviate pressures on the NHS

A guest blog by Nick Sanderson, CEO & Founder at Audley Group

As the Labour government exits its honeymoon period post-election, attention is turning to how the party is going to implement the policies promised in its manifesto. Both social care and NHS reform were key policy grounds for Labour and are issues that people in the UK consistently rank as a concern.

In the past few weeks, we heard the headlines from Lord Darzi’s report into the NHS and the numbers paint a worrying picture. One we knew of, but the figures are stark. By mid-2024, there were some 7.5 million people on the NHS waiting list, with more than 300,000 people having to wait over 12 months for hospital treatment.

While the pandemic has played a significant part in upping these times, the reality is that lengthy waiting times and bed availability were issues long before 2020. As the Labour government looks to ‘write a prescription’ for the NHS and promises far-reaching reforms, it would be amiss of policymakers to consider the NHS and social care services in isolation if they are to achieve a long-term and sustainable fix.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ answer to the NHS and social care crisis but there must be acknowledgement that where we live is intrinsically linked with our health and wellbeing. This is why back in 2020, ADASS wrote that every decision about care, is a decision about housing. It’s imperative the Government considers housing policy alongside our healthcare services, as a prevention method and a cure.

For the growing older population, the choice of retirement living options is severely lacking, with senior housing accounting for just 3% of new build delivery. By 2043, a quarter of the population will be over 65 so this number needs to change radically, and do so quickly. The benefits would be great and far-reaching.

Retirement living communities enable people to live well and independent lives for longer. They provide high quality housing which can adapt to people’s changing lifestyles with support available when it is needed. 

This can range from preventative wellbeing measures including dietary and exercise support, help with day-to-day tasks, through to end of life care with 24hr support. In 2020, research conducted by The Kings Fund and The University of York found strong evidence of reduced visits to GPs and a reduced reliance on community nursing for those living in housing with care communities. The same research showed a reduction in length of hospital stays, fewer hospital admissions and less ambulance and emergency call outs for those in housing with care settings.

This growing body of evidence is why the Associated Retirement Community Operators’ (ARCO) vision for the sector is for 250,000 people to live in housing with care properties by 2030. It is estimated that this could save £5.6bn for the NHS and social care sector. Now it’s time for the new government to act. Treating housing and care as two separate issues will not work.

We need to see policies and reforms that acknowledge the interplay between the two, and we need to see change implemented quickly if we are to improve the outcomes for the growing older population and support our struggling care services.