Amended standards given green light

The watered-down physical and environmental standards for care
homes will be implemented, the government has confirmed.

In the amended sets of national minimum standards published this
week, care homes for older people built before April 2002 will be
exempt from nine of the environmental standards on space, baths,
doorways and single rooms.

Existing homes for adults aged 18 to 65 will be exempt from eight
standards on shared rooms, shared bathrooms and wheelchair
access.

The concessions, which were put forward in a government u-turn last
July, follow a four-month consultation that brought 243 responses,
most in support of the changes.

Health minister Jacqui Smith said: “We listened to care home
owners, residents and their relatives about the national minimum
standards. Vulnerable and older people should not have to worry
about how their home will meet the costs of some of the more
challenging standards.”

Most of the standards brought in under the Care Standards
Regulations 2001 came into force last April and are unchanged. The
amended standards will apply from this June.