COUNCIL chiefs are warning about increasing pressure from Worcestershire's elderly population and the demands continue to grow.

Worcestershire County Council has published a raft of updated figures on its adult social care service, revealing:

  •  The number of people presenting themselves as carers has leapt 26 per cent, going from an average of 307 per month to 387
  •  After being assessed under The Care Act around 41 per cent now qualify for some form of public funding after being means-tested
  •  Just over 6,000 old people qualified for a council-funded social care package last year
  •  That number has dropped by around 1,000 in five years but the costs have risen due to what the council calls "increased frailty" of the elderly, making their needs much more complex
  •  County Hall's overall bill for adult social care and health services hit £126 million last year, around 40 per cent of the net budget

The figures have prompted the watchdog Healthwatch to warn of a "ticking time bomb".

Peter Pinfield, Healthwatch chairman, said: "The numbers of elderly people will only increase, to be fair to Worcestershire County Council we know they are raising this at a national level with the Government.

"The system is creaking at the edges, and that pressure will only get worse.

"It's a ticking time bomb. When you look at the figure for carers we can see how tough it is getting, the new Carers Act makes it very clear that carers are entitled to support from a local authority depending on people's financial circumstances."

The Conservative leadership has agreed to put aside £2 million to linking up with technology firms and develop more at-home care gadgets, as we first revealed last year.

Councillor Sheila Blagg, the cabinet member for adult social care, is also investigating the possibility of linking up with third-party financiers about creating new radical 'retirement villages' around the county.

As we revealed last month, council officials have visited a project in Birmingham where pensioners live in their very own 'village-style' complex featuring a gym, restaurant, pub, garden centre, hairdressers, bowling alley, library and even a workshop.

The number of over-65s in the county is forecast to rise 37 per cent by 2030 to 167,000 - while over-85s will surge 85 per cent to 29,900.