Care homes being closed down

[SnowWhite]

another care home in our area has just been closed down due to its terrible CQC inspection. That leaves 46 people needing beds. Six months ago the home my Uncle was in was also closed down and they had to find 38 Beds for residents.

My friend is a social worker and she says she has never known anything like it. She gets emails every day telling her not to place people in certain homes as they are failing or warning that homes have gone into special measures.

It's a terrible state of affairs when our elderly people have to live in places like this and in many cases, are paying huge amounts of hard earned money to be there.

While I do have some reservations about the CQC reports I can only say Thank God they exist!

 

[lemonjuice]

We've been saying for a while that in 20 years there simply won't be any Care Homes. Financial implications of fewer self-funders to prop-up the system and budget cuts galore in the NHS and SS will ensure that many will simply be unable to retain and remunerate staff adequately and be forced to close I fear.

 

[Philbo]

I know of 4 in my immediate area that have either closed or are due to close soon. A close friend is a manager of another local CH and one of the other homes in her group, is up for closure.

The biggest factor (funding aside), is recruiting and retaining good care staff. She is really struggling, despite 3 other homes closing nearby in recent months. Despite advertising, she gets very few suitable applicants.

It becomes a downhill spiral, as lack of adequate staffing can often lead to poor CQC reports (her recent one was Good), which can in turn, lead to residents being moved elsewhere.

Although my wife is not at the stage of needing residential care (not yet, anyway), I have started looking around and it is very difficult to find places that take self-funding and LA funded residents? (her savings wouldn't last long, given the high costs).

 

[nita]

This is an interesting article focusing on the state of a Care Group

 

[nita]

Do you have personal knowledge of it, Kassy - was your mother in one of theirs? That is cause for concern as it is apparently the largest care home group in Britain.

That article was a year old. This is a more recent one:-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/09/02/care-homes-giant-threat-debt-row/

 

[love.dad.but..]

As it seems to be reported, many care homes rely on self funders to make up shortfalls in homes who offer LA or CHC at lower rates I can see that in many years to come with more people renting than owning their property self funders like dad who who we were able to sell his house to pay for care won't exist to the same extent as now. So even more people with dementia will be in need of funded care...goodness knows how people unless they have vast savings or unlikely huge pension can contribute

 

[nita]

I think what they might not be telling us is the huge profits some people are making out of this, i.e. the private equity company owners. I am sure there is sufficient reward for them, secreted away in offshore funds.

 

[nita]

Have a look at this:-

http://www.private-eye.co.uk/in-the-back

This is the bigger picture about the way the industry works. We all need to have a proper discussion about the funding of care and I think the most sensible way ahead would be some form of tax or insurance for social care which means the cost wouldn't fall on just those unfortunate enough to develop dementia. And possibly local government taking back more control in this field.

 

[nitram]

The care group in question took over several homes after the big crash in 2011, they are now in financial trouble, I've seen reports that they are splitting into three:

• High class residential only homes.
• EMI homes
• 'Basic' homes for LA funded

 

[nitram]

If LAs instead of closing the few remaining care homes they own opened more and charged self funders the fees they expect private homes to operate on the problem would soon be solved. They could even take over some of the homes that are closing to speed up the process.

This is unlikely to happen as the system is financially broke.

Meanwhile self funders prop up the unsustainable system.

 

[SnowWhite]

This is an interesting article focusing on the state of a Care Group

Funny you should post that - the home I mentioned IS part of that group.

 

[SnowWhite]

If LAs instead of closing the few remaining care homes they own opened more and charged self funders the fees they expect private homes to operate on the problem would soon be solved. They could even take over some of the homes that are closing to speed up the process.

This is unlikely to happen as the system is financially broke.

Meanwhile self funders prop up the unsustainable system.

Not so many years ago there were several LA homes in this Area and they were all clean, the staff had appropriate training and the people were well looked after. I can't ever remember reading that they were abusing residents or neglecting them.

They've just about all gone now along with convalescent homes, cottage hospitals and rehabilitation centres. It's tragic.

 

[Risa]

My Mum's social worker thinks that in the future, care homes will be for the very wealthy only and everyone else will have to manage in their own homes with the aid of hopefully more advanced technology or else move in with other family members. The way things are going, I don't disbelieve her

 

[cobden28]

My Mum's social worker thinks that in the future, care homes will be for the very wealthy only and everyone else will have to manage in their own homes with the aid of hopefully more advanced technology or else move in with other family members. The way things are going, I don't disbelieve her

But the trouble with the idea of elderly folk (with or without dementia, but just in need of care) moving in to live with family members is that modern houses are just not built with accommodation for an elderly relative or multi-generation families in mind. And even if there is room to house an elderly relative, the cost of running such a large home would warrant both of the couple having to go out to work full-time just to pay the bills. And in those circumstances, who would be at home to care for the elderly relative?