Almost four in five people in England say they know little to nothing about how paying for social care services works, an older person’s charity has found.

The charity Independent Age has called on the Government to do more to help local authorities deliver social care services in response to a poll that found wide spread confusion on how to access support.

A YouGov poll of nearly 2,000 people has found that 78% of respondents know little to nothing about how to pay for social care services, and less than half said they would feel confident arranging social care for themselves or someone they know.

Commissioned by Independent Age, the survey found that only half (51%) of those who had sought information from their local authority in the past five years felt the information they had been provided was helpful.

Fewer than one in 10 (9%) said they recalled seeing information in their community about how the social care system works.

Half (50%) of respondents who have spoken to the council found it difficult to get in touch with the person they needed to talk to about their care.

Morgan Vine, head of Policy and Influencing for Independent Age, said: ‘Most people need to access care at a time of real crisis for them personally or someone they are close to. There is a risk that people in later life in this situation will be failed if they aren’t able to access information and advice when they need it.

‘If people in later life and their families don’t know who to contact or how to find the information, it can be very distressing. Many people Independent Age speaks to face similar difficulties around accessing or understanding the information provided, across different local authorities. It is essential this changes.’

She continued: ‘We recognise that local authorities across the country face severe financial pressures, huge staffing shortages, and many other significant challenges, but our research shows that there are improvements that can be made.

‘We are calling on national Government and local authorities to act now to ensure information and advice around social care is improved for everyone who needs it. The social care system desperately requires more funding, all staff who interact with people in need of care need support to have a basic understanding of how the system works, and clear and accessible information should be provided across the country.’