Care home prices not reflective of service
PAYING more for a care home may not mean a better quality of care, new national league tables suggest.
Analysis of official data shows that the areas with the most expensive residential care have some of the worst ratings from regulators.
The most expensive nursing homes – with an average cost of £998 a week – were in Oxfordshire, which also had the fourth most expensive care homes.
But the county was in the bottom three for quality of care, as rated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), a new report shows. Hertfordshire had the most costly care homes, at £813 per week, and the fourth most expensive nursing homes, yet is languishing towards the bottom of the league tables.
The best care was found to be in Herefordshire, Warwickshire and Rutland while the worst was in the Isle of Wight, West Yorkshire and Oxfordshire.
Areas which provided some of the cheapest accommodation received high ratings from the inspectorate.
In Tyne & Wear, care homes cost an average £434 per week, while nursing care was £511, yet quality of care was in the top third of the country. The analy- sis, by TrustedCare.co.uk, an online directory for reviewing care providers, examined CQC data on inspections, and the latest market data about fees charged.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “This new league table suggests that finding a good care home is a postcode lottery, and tracking down a good and affordable care home harder still.
“It seems increasingly to be the case that unless you have substantial wealth it is extraordinarily hard to secure really good residential care, but even if you are in that fortunate position this table implies you may not get what you want.”
Mark Walford, chief executive of TrustedCare.co.uk, said: “Our analysis of the data shows that a high price doesn’t guarantee good quality care, meaning the current market is almost impossible to navigate.
“We want to encourage people to share their experiences of care for themselves or family members so people can make an informed choice based on reliable, verified reviews as well as ratings to make life-changing decisions about care.”
Chris Day, CQC director of engage- ment, said: “It’s important that people have access to information that helps them to choose the right care for them or for someone they love.”
Meanwhile, new figures show a surge in complaints about care for the elderly and disabled in England. The Local Government Ombudsman, the watchdog which handles unresolved complaints to councils, said it had seen an 18 per cent rise in cases last year. Complaints about care in people’s own homes rose by 60 per cent, with two thirds upheld by the watchdog. Those relating to care homes were up by one quarter, with 60 per cent upheld.