Care service could be overwhelmed without major investment

Newcastle University's study predicts an 82% increase in the number of care home places needed (about 630,000) by 2030 to cope with the demands of an increasingly older population. However it found 80% of those aged 85 or older were entirely capable of looking after themselves (41%) or required help less than every day (39%). The remaining 20% of those questioned needed either regular daily help or critical 24 hour care and with this age group expected to grow, the report said more and more pressure will be placed on care services. "In 2010 there were 2.6m people aged over 80, by 2...