Nine
out of ten councils face care home place shortfall
A new study warns that 87% of councils risk running out of care home places
over the next five years. According to Which?, a shortfall of 42,000 beds will
be imminent by 2022 unless more homes are built. Fourteen local authorities
face a 25% shortfall - half in London boroughs - and just 20 out of the 150
council areas are on track to keep up with demand.
The worst-hit area - Bracknell Forest
in Berkshire - faces a shortfall of 53%, while Devon will have the largest shortage
in terms of the number of beds, with a projected 1,921. Izzi Seccombe, from the
Local Government Association, said: “These findings reinforce our warning about
the urgent need to reform adult social care and deliver a long-term sustainable
solution.”
Responding to the study a Department of Health spokesman comments:
"High quality care isn't just about care home beds – 61% of people are
cared for in their own home and since 2010 there has been a growth in home care
agencies of more than 3,000 - a 53% increase. We've given local authorities in
England an extra £2bn boost over the next three years to maintain access for
our growing ageing population and to put the social care sector on a
sustainable footing for the future."
The Governments response was to announce a short term (three year) "patch" that was not only too late, too little but too short lived.
