Last Updated: May 27, 2025

While there will be ongoing challenges for the care industry, there are some potential upsides to come.

Demand for care and supported living for older people continue to grow in the UK. People are living longer than ever before, thanks to incredible advances in science and healthcare. Older adults make up a large percentage of the population (and contribute significantly to society while doing so). Below are five crucial trends for carers to be mindful of.

1. Home-based care will expand.

Speaking of home care, this is one area that will see continued growth and demand. The ageing population – and COVID-19 – have driven the need for more flexible and efficient home-based care services. Many caregivers and providers have found that prescribing respite care, care for physical or learning disabilities, rehabilitation, mental health assistance and even palliative care to patients at home is feasible. Expect to see more care providers expanding services to offset the challenges they face in centres, wards and nursing homes.

2. Technology will grow in demand and availability.

Being online and digitally connected has its benefits and can make life so much easier for older people to connect and share special moments with family and friends. However, the bad news is that they have been – and always will be – easy targets for online scams, fraud and cyberattacks. Age UK lists some common online scams and tips for avoiding them.

Having said that, it’s important to protect your older relatives or patients by any means necessary and remind yourself about what could constitute a scam, because for them it might not be so easy. This can be as simple as an email scam or phishing attack, or more complex and sophisticated like a malware or network attack. Caregivers should take additional care to make sure that they can detect a threat easily.

Many patients are moving to home-based care services and finding themselves in care centres less frequently, largely in part due to the growing demand for care and long waiting lists. However, home care providers can still make good use of technology and automation, where more of the repetitive and time-consuming tasks can soon be left to machines, freeing caregivers up to focus on other tasks.

3. Current social care charging reforms (should) take shape.

Government announced a set of social care charging reforms that were set to begin in October 2023 but was swiftly met with pushback from much of the care sector. Many requested these reforms be delayed for a year (to 2024) while the UK navigates the economic challenges it’s currently facing.

In short, the reforms seek to cap the spending amount for anyone receiving personal care over their lifetime to £86,000. The reforms also mention means-tested financial support for anyone with assets between £20,000 and £100,000, increasing the upper capital limit, and several other factors.

In November 2022, the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, confirmed in Government’s Autumn Statement that the reforms would be delayed until October 2025. As it stands, it’s safe to assume that they will be progressing, albeit not for a while. You can read the latest information from the Department of Health and Social Care on its GOV.UK website.

4. There will be a shortage of care workers.

Healthcare itself is a sector undergoing turmoil, not only for the lack of available hospital beds, and huge waiting lists for patients, but also due to the lack of full-time, qualified caregivers, particularly in the NHS. There are simply not enough available staff to meet the current – and growing – demand for care.

The labour shortage is and always has been a challenge, with many UK care workers seeking alternative career paths, which has left care and nursing homes starved of workers. Not to mention the number of people that give up their careers to provide full-time, live-in care.

5. Dementia care costs will rise.

Statistics show that care homes have had to charge more for dementia care year-on-year, on average. Staff shortages and the ageing population have exacerbated this, and dementia-only care homes usually provide 24-hour supervision, which also contributes to the high care costs.

While special live-in care for dementia can often be more affordable and beneficial, that doesn’t change the fact that the sector itself requires attention. Expect to see this continue well into the new year and beyond.

What does the future of retirement care look like?

It’s clear to see that the trends listed above highlight some deep-running concerns and problems that lie within the healthcare sector, such as staff shortages, budget cuts and delayed reforms. However, while that is true, these are not guaranteed to play out exactly as predicted. Plus, there are positives to take from the technological advancements and additional flexibility of home care which many prefer.

About Dakota Murphey

Dakota Murphey is a freelance writer living and working in the UK. She enjoys writing engaging content across a range of topics, including: lifestyle, marketing, PR, entrepreneurial skills, education, company growth and personal relationships.

Email: dakota@dakotamurphey.co.uk

Twitter: @Dakota_Murphey