News

There were 700 fewer residential care homes and 200 less nursing homes in March this year than in March 2000, new government figures reveal, writes Lauren Revans.

A total number of 4,700 residential home places – or 1 per cent – were lost over the 12 month period. More than a fifth of these were in the south east. Registered nursing home beds fell by 6,600 – or 4 per cent.

The number of local authority-supported residents fell for the first time since 1994 by 3,400 down to 261,800. However, only 16 per cent of these residents were actually in local authority-run homes.

Health minister Jacqui Smith said the change reflected the government’s commitment to helping people with care needs who wanted to remain living independently at home to do so for as long as possible.

"This inevitably means there will be a shift in the services older people need," Smith said. "We need to strike the right balance between supporting more people to live independently at home – which we are doing – and ensuring a sufficient supply of residential care and nursing home places for people who need them."

Smith admitted that there were particular "capacity problems" in the care home sector in some parts of the country, but said the government’s investment programme – an extra £900 million annually by 2004 on intermediate care – would help stabilise problems.

However, Paul Burstow, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for older people, said the falling care home figures were further proof that the government had failed to understand the sector, and was continuing to drive good homes out of business.

"Even with more and better home care, a growing elderly population will need care homes," Burstow said. "By ignoring the evidence and denying there is a problem, ministers now have a major job to rebuild confidence."