Staffordshire is a county of contrasts and is home to a distinctive blend of urban and rural areas, with green areas, housing developments and traditional market towns.
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There are also large contrasts in the resident population in terms of deprivation and employment. Annual average earnings are still below the national average, although life expectancy has fallen for both men and women, as have rates of fuel poverty, although demand for adult social care services has increased. It should be noted that recent increases in fuel prices nationally may reverse this reduction in fuel poverty.
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Staffordshire has a population of approximately 871,000 people and there are more people aged 65 and over in Staffordshire compared to the national average. The overall population of Staffordshire was projected to increase between 2017 and 2027 by 2% with a significant growth in people aged 65 and over (18%) and aged 85 and over (39%).
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The impact of this ageing trend is likely to see approximately 65,900 more people aged 65+ by 2030, and it is anticipated that there will be 12,250 more older people aged 85+. There is an increasing demand for acute services and healthy life expectancy is 63 for men and 65 for women, which are both below the current retirement age.
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We are currently supporting approximately 3,300 people with social care needs via care in the home. This is likely to increase as life expectancy increases as adults are living longer but healthy life expectancy is still below the current retirement age, which in turn can lead to more complex needs and support. This could translate into as many as 500 additional packages of care by 2025.
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In addition, the number of adults that left hospital with a care package and required support was 382 in 2021.
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It is expected that we need to grow the use of community led support, and it is expected that there will be increased demand for home care following the Covid-19 pandemic, although at this stage (August 2021) it is difficult to predict what this might look like.