Berlin: (hib/STO) The federal government presents its assessment of the medium to long-term developments in the care market in its answer (20/10990) to a small question from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group (20/10837). The results of the According to the 2023 care forecast from the Federal Statistical Office, the number of people in need of care in Germany will increase from around five million at the end of 2021 to around 6.8 million in 2055. The federal government continues that this corresponds to an increase of around 37 percent. In this respect, it is to be expected that the demand for nursing care offerings will continue to increase in the next few years.
According to the answer, it should be noted that differences between countries and individual regions are to be expected with regard to the forecast increases. The development of the care market is also influenced by the types of care in demand, as the federal government also writes. The proportion of people in need of care who were cared for at home has continued to rise in recent years.
“According to current care statistics, around 84 percent of those in need of care (4.17 million) are cared for at home by caring relatives and/or outpatient care services,” the answer also states. Against this background, it can be observed that many providers are setting up new forms of living with the aim of replacing the offerings of classic nursing homes. As a rule, these are offers that combine assisted living, day care and support from outpatient care services.
According to the Federal Government, private providers of care facilities play a central role in the forecast expansion of the care infrastructure. Since the introduction of social nursing care insurance in 1995, private providers have been helping “to ensure that the supply of nursing facilities can meet the increasing needs for nursing services and that nursing care for the population is ensured.”
The federal government writes that the proportion of private providers has grown steadily, particularly in the outpatient sector. According to the current care statistics, this amounts to around 68 percent (10,430 of a total of 15,376 outpatient care services). In the inpatient sector, where there has been a less strong increase in private providers, private providers operate around 43 percent of all inpatient facilities (6,876 of a total of 16,115 facilities), according to current care statistics.
As the answer also shows, under nursing care insurance law there is an obligation to protect the diversity of those responsible for nursing care facilities and to respect their independence, self-image and independence. According to the information, non-profit and private providers have priority over public providers. According to the Federal Government, regardless of their sponsorship, all approved care facilities must “comply with the statutory and contractually agreed requirements and obligations to provide evidence – in particular with regard to staffing and remuneration as well as quality assurance”.