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Less than two thirds of people in care homes are visited by relatives or friends every week according to national statistics on the health of older people in England, writes Katie Leason.

Just 64 per cent of people in care homes are visited at least once a week by relatives or friends compared to 81 per cent in private households.

The 2000 Health Survey for England shows that 4 per cent of people aged 65 and over are resident in care homes, with women more likely to go into a home than men.

Around three in 10 residents were found to have been in a care home for less than a year compared to a fifth who had been there for five years or more.

The survey also finds that residents in care homes are much less likely to eat fruit and red meat six or more times a week, around half the number in private households.

Anaemia is on average two and a half times more common in care homes than private households, and three in four care home residents are severely disabled, with senile dementia the most commonly reported cause.

The 2000 Health Survey for England involved interviews with over 2,400 people living in care homes and over 1,600 in private households, aged 65 and over.