A stark vision of a miserable future for millions of Britons has been painted by the National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC) and the National Care Forum (NCF).

A report, A 2030 Vision:Building Communities and Environments to Support People to Live Well and Die Well warns that 2030 will bring an increase of people aged 60 and over to nearly 20 million. This means more people living longer with chronic life-limiting conditions, more living alone and more without state support owing to the increases in state pension age.

Measures proposed include help for people in planning for the greater cost of later life, better use of new technology to help older people to live independently and building homes that can be adapted as occupants age. Growing older in Britain, says the NCPC should be something to be enjoyed and embraced, not dreaded.