Elderly ‘in fear’ as care homes get worse

CARE homes are getting worse in a third of local authority areas, a report reveals today.

It warns that many of the elderly have a ‘real fear’ of moving into nearby homes because standards are so poor.

In some council areas, including Manchester and Portsmouth, as many as four in ten are failing. Experts said the findings were further evidence that the social care system is at breaking point.

The study by charity Independent Age found that in 37 per cent of authorities, the number of homes rated ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’ had risen. It looked at inspection reports by the Care Quality Commission which ranks homes from ‘inadequate’ to ‘outstanding’.

The care sector is struggling because of cuts to local authority budgets, staff shortages and ever-growing demand.