London's Care Homes Crisis Reaching Meltdown - Hughes

2.56.32pm GMT Fri 26th Mar 2004

Liberal Democrat London mayoral candidate, Simon Hughes, today revealed a new survey of care home services across the capital that paints a disturbing picture of shortages of homes, beds and cash.

The survey undertaken of all 33 Boroughs was completed and returned by 62% (21) of them, and shows that:

• Average occupancy rates are running 50% higher than recommended levels.

• 73% believe that they do not have enough care home places in their Borough.

• Average fee levels are £21 a week below those demanded by residential homes and £33 below those demanded by nursing homes.

• Around 40% of all care home placements are outside their local area with placements in Essex, Kent and the Shires commonplace.

The survey follows on from figures published by the National Care Standard Commission that showed more than six in ten care homes in London failed to meet medication standards.

Simon Hughes said:- "The care home sector in London is facing a crisis that is slowly reaching meltdown. With house prices soaring, and care home fees so low, care home owners are simply selling up and shipping out. This leaves many of the most vulnerable in our society being moved around in a morbid game of pass the parcel."

"Care home-owners are disillusioned, discontented and disaffected, yet ministers are still in a state of denial about the scale of the crisis. Older people are being placed in care homes that are further away from their families leading to distress and anxiety for many people across the capital."

ENDS

Simon Hughes asked these questions in his letter and the overall responses are set out below.

Do you believe that local authority fee levels for care homes at the beginning of this financial year were too little? Half of those responded thought their fee levels were too low

What are your current fee levels, and what are the average residential and nursing home fees currently charged by homes in your borough? Current fee levels paid by Local Authorities ranged from £355 to £450 for residential and from £461 to £525 for nursing

Actual fee levels charged by homes ranged from £371 up to £450 for residential ranged from £460 to £580 for nursing

In the last financial year has your department had to place any older people in care homes outside your borough? If so, in the last financial year, how many, what percentage is this of the total, and how far away? Average 210 per Borough were placed outside each borough each year at an average of 40%. Many Authorities cited places as far away as Kent, the Shires and Essex

Do you have enough care home places in your Borough? What are your

borough's current occupancy rates?

Of the 15 Authorities that answered the Average occupancy rate was 95.5%. The recommended occupancy rate should never exceed 90% unless that sector is close to gridlock. Of the 15 who answered, 11 have not enough places, 4 do.

Boroughs that answered are

Barnet; Bexley; Brent; Camden; Corp. of London; Croydon; Ealing; Enfield; Haringey; Harrow; Havering; Hillingdon; Hounslow; Lambeth; Merton; Newham; Redbridge; Royal Kingston; Southwark; Sutton; Tower Hamlets; Waltham Forest; Wandsworth.