Pensioner poverty is a massive issue in the UK, with around two million older people struggling to get by and another million living precariously. The social security system has a vital role to play in supporting them but, unfortunately, it is overly complex and fragmented – preventing many older people on low incomes from receiving all the financial support they are entitled to.

An older person looking to apply for the four main pensioner entitlements – Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction and Attendance Allowance – could have to answer up to 450 questions. This daunting and timeconsuming task was revealed at the launch of our latest report, Jumping Through Hoops. Even with the help of a trained adviser, it could take four hours.

An individual attempting an application on their own could have to spend an exorbitant amount of time on the task, which can be very stressful. Our helpline regularly receives calls from worried older people who have found the process of applying for financial support overwhelming; one woman said she was left feeling suicidal. Living in financial hardship can be incredibly isolating and seeking help shouldn’t involve additional stress in this way. Given many older people can be reluctant to ask for help, it’s no exaggeration to say complexities in the system may be putting tens of thousands of people off seeking assistance.

This winter, we saw the dire impact of having a social security system that’s hard to access; older people in financial hardship lost the Winter Fuel Payment because they do not receive Pension Credit. With only 65% of those eligible receiving it, almost a million people lost the payment despite being low-income. It was a particularly tough winter, with regular cold snaps, and we spoke to older people across the country taking drastic measures to stay warm – from going to bed in hats and coats, to visiting warm public places.

Surely this cannot be right in 21st-century Britain?

Having looked into older people’s experiences of navigating the social security system to better understand the barriers, we can suggest solutions to government and local authorities who put money into the pockets of those who need it. Now is the time for action. Too many pensioner entitlements are impacted by low take-up. We interviewed many older people who have applied for financial support and we also spoke to our trained advisers who regularly help them during the application process. Through this research, we now have a better understanding of the system and how to improve it.

The Government must start by announcing a take-up strategy for all entitlements. This should include plans to shorten the forms that over-complicate the application process. Ministers might claim the Pension Credit form can be completed in 16 minutes – welcome news – but many older people we support have additional needs because of health conditions and, in some cases, low literacy levels, which can make applying more difficult. Also, Pension Credit is just one form – many older people have to apply for several entitlements. In doing so, they can suffer from an accumulative fatigue from filling out so many lengthy and complex forms.

The Government should also set out how its plans can harness the power of data to streamline the application process. Applicants are regularly forced to answer the same repetitive questions. Repeated asks include National Insurance number, sources of income and contact details. This can be extremely frustrating.

Different government departments should be able to share consenting applicants’ core personal information and create pre-filled forms. Applicants would simply be required to check this information is correct, saving time and making the process far less daunting. It could also save red tape and bureaucracy within straining social services.

The social security system can provide a much-needed safety net for older people. However, it needs an urgent makeover to ensure nobody in need of support is left behind. If a few simple improvements are made, more people in later life will be financially secure. That is something we should be excited to provide to current and future generations.

• Joanna Elson CBE is chief executive of Independent Age. Visit independentage.org for more information