Council cut backs could see the loss of 81,000 care home beds over the next 10 years. The anticipated increase in the UK’s ageing population would, at the same time, increase demand by 18,000 in the same period. Therefore, almost 100,000 older people could be unable to access the care home places they need and, because of their frailty, many would have to be admitted to hospital, creating a bed blocking crisis for the NHS.
This report makes a number of recommendations for central and local government action.
Much of the data used in this report is derived from official, private and BUPA data sources as well as from Laing & Buisson’s 2010 edition of Care of Elderly People Market Survey