News

The Department of Health has said Kent Council does not have the power to place people in nursing homes in other countries.

The local authority is considering the purchase of nursing home beds in Europe because it cannot afford to pay fees in the UK (News, page 5, 6 September).

But under the National Assistance Act of 1948 local authorities do not have the power to place people in residential care outside England and Wales.

A spokesperson for the DoH said: "In England and Wales, older people should be given the option to choose where they want to stay, and where their health, well-being and independence can be best maintained.

"This usually means placing them older people in a home as close as possible to the community of which they are a part."

But Oliver Mills, director of operations at Kent social services department, said: "We want to reassure people that we are only exploring the idea and we will continue to do so. We have a crisis and are being forced to do this."

Liberal Democrat shadow minister for older people Paul Burstow described the move as "another symptom of the strains being placed on the care sector".

Burstow said the shipping of vulnerable older people to a country where English was not the first language could cause immense confusion and anxiety for everyone concerned.

"The government is failing to address the severe problems that are facing residential and nursing homes, particularly in London and the South East."