The rising problem of an ageing population living longer with long-term illnesses that decades ago would have probably been terminal is being addressed by Bradford Council, as well as politicians with a national voice.

This week, the Council discussed the introduction of four extra care homes, in Saltaire, Airedale, Thackley and Goitside, which will mean a project worth in the region of £24m with capacity for 251 units for people to live independently for longer, rather than being consigned to a later life in a residential home.

They will receive intermediate care for their independent needs with 24-hour support. But crucially, it means a step away from residential care and more responsibility for managing their own lives for longer.

The move has been welcomed by Age UK chief executive Keith Nathan.

Mr Nathan has already warned that the “social care system is careering towards breaking point”, as it was revealed the over-65 population locally will increase to nearly 94,000 by 2026.

That is a projected 36 per cent increase, from 68,600 pensioners in 2007 to an estimated 93,800 in 2026.

Speaking about the local picture, Mr Nathan said: “The general local Bradford model is good, with the local authority providing support to good models – like extra care housing, which help establish good standards in the district to measure all provision.

“So are their efforts to help the private sector increase its capacity and skills – particularly important with improving dementia and Alzheimer’s care – and trying to maintain emphasis on preventative support by all sectors to enable people to live at home as long as they wish or are able.”

Days before the news of the care homes came out, Bradford East MP David Ward (Lib Dem) launched his own social care survey, entitled the Reforming Social Care report, to find out what people thought about tackling the issue of an ageing population and how best to pay for it.

The report by Mr Ward, with 500 respondents, will be collated this week and the findings presented to a Joint Committee of the House of Lords and House of Commons when it scrutinises the draft Care and Support Bill.

The Bill, part of the biggest reform of the system since 1948, set out how the social care system will be transformed from a service that reacts to crises to one that focuses on prevention and is built around people’s needs and goals.

That comes as the Government agrees with the principle of the Dilnot Report, which looked at how the funding system for care and support in England could be reformed as part of the same bigger picture.

But they warned that due to the economic climate they could not commit to introducing a new system at this stage, despite commissioning the report.

The local survey by Mr Ward has also thrown up issues including hospital discharges, the provision of housing for the disabled and waiting times for major adaptations to homes.

Mr Ward said: “We are now talking about one-in-three people over 65 developing dementia, and this is likely to affect everyone directly or indirectly.

“This is not going to go away. It is not like the recession – the problem is going to grow and grow and grow.”

His recommendations included urging the Council to take a greater role in driving up standards among independent sector care providers, working in partnership with community organisations to develop schemes to support older people living in social isolation and trial using neighbourhood teams to support the elderly in their homes.

His findings are set against a challenging backdrop locally because the Council is desperately trying to make savings as part of national budget cuts, and those cuts are bound to bite in some services.

The Council is also proposing a three-month consultation on bringing the Fair Access To Care grading from moderate to critical or substantial, meaning savings in the short term and savings in the long term.

The proposed changes to FACS could mean 2,000 local people no longer getting home help with tasks such as dressing and washing and shopping. But this move to raise the benchmark of FACS is vigorously opposed by Liberal Democrat Group Leader on the Council, Coun Jeanette Sunderland.

Dilnot Recommendations On Social Care

The Dilnot recommendations were created by the independent body, the Commission on Funding of Care and Support, tasked by the Government to review the funding system for care and support in England. They had said the system was in urgent need of reform in 2011.

The Commission was chaired by Andrew Dilnot, with Lord Norman Warner and Dame Jo Williams.

They recommended to the Government that individuals’ lifetime contributions towards their social care costs – which are currently potentially unlimited – should be capped. After the cap is reached, individuals would be eligible for full state support.

This cap should be between £25,000 and £50,000, preferably £35,000, which the Commission estimates would cost the State around £1.7billion.