Nine in ten councils will run out of care homes places within five years because they are not doing enough to cope with the ageing population
- 87 per cent of town halls will not have enough places to meet demand by 2022
- Devon will have largest shortage in number of beds, with a projected 1,921
An incredible 87 per cent of town halls will not have enough places to meet demand by 2022 – because they are not doing enough to cope with the demands of an ageing population.
The shortfall is set to be particularly acute in 14 areas, where the number of extra care home places the council is planning is at least 25 per cent lower than needed.
An incredible 87 per cent of town halls will not have enough places to meet demand by 2022 – because they are not doing enough to cope with the demands of an ageing population
The analysis by the consumer group Which? found that by 2022, there will be an estimated shortfall of 42,000 elderly care home beds across England. In the worst-hit area – Bracknell Forest in Berkshire – there will be 161 fewer places than needed, a shortfall of 53 per cent.
Next comes Lewisham in south London, where the shortfall works out at 48 per cent, or 355 beds short. Haringey’s shortfall is projected to be 38 per cent, followed by Hartlepool (35 per cent) and Milton Keynes (33 per cent).
Devon will have the largest shortage in terms of the number of beds, with a projected 1,921.
Nine in 10 areas will run out of care home places | Daily Mail Online
MP Dr Sarah Wollaston for Totnes has been asking how the system will cope with this shortage of community beds:
'How will they cope?' Devon MP warns on winter health services
Praise for staff propping up the NHS
13:03, 12 OCT 2017
Hard-working staff are propping up the nation’s health and social care which experts have confirmed could be pushed into crisis by one bad winter, says Totnes MP Dr Sarah Wollaston.
Hard-working staff are propping up the nation’s health and social care which experts have confirmed could be pushed into crisis by one bad winter, says Totnes MP Dr Sarah Wollaston.
Dr Wollaston, who chairs the Commons Health Select Committee, said hospitals are being put under extra pressure because of a shortage of community beds.
It comes after the Care Quality Commission confirmed many West Country services are “straining at the seams” as part of its annual report on the state of health and care across England.
Dr Wollaston, who campaigned against the closure of local hospitals in Paignton and Brixham, said: “My concern is how we will cope this winter without the option for hospital admissions or discharges into the community.”
Dr Wollaston warned of pressures ahead. “The future is looking difficult, particularly ongoing resources in social care and providers pulling out,” she said.
Between December and March, bed occupancy in the region had been high, and at the same time beds were being lost in the community.
“My concern is how we will cope this winter without the option for hospital admissions or discharges into the community,” she said. “As chair of the Health committee, I’ll be pursuing these options. But the report does make it clear that, in spite of all the challenges, we are maintaining quality, largely because of the work of staff. We need to be very careful about the extent of pressures moving forward.”
Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients’ Association, said: “The State of Care report shows that the NHS and local authorities are overwhelmingly delivering health and social care to a high standard.
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