SURVEY OF WOKING'S NURSING HOMES LAUNCHED (Woking Liberal Democrats)

Woking Liberal Democrats <info@wokinglibdems.org.uk>

SURVEY OF WOKING'S NURSING HOMES LAUNCHED

November 8, 2004 10:30 AM

Dr Anne Lee discussing the needs of older people with Elisabeth Elton, a Woking resident

Will there be enough nursing home places in the future for Woking's older people? Nationally, the number of care home places for the elderly has fallen consistently since 1996. There was a further loss in this last year of 10,000 independent, NHS and local authority places. In spite of projected increasing demand, the number of places in the southern home counties fell by 2.6% - which is getting on for twice the average for the country as a whole.

Dr Anne Lee (Woking's Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson) said 'The proportion of people over 60 in Woking could increase by 10% over the next 20 years. We must make sure that there are going to be sufficient nursing home places available here.

"The average age of our population is increasing, so I have today written to the managers of all of the nursing homes in Woking and the Byfleets to try and establish how they are managing now. I want to know how easy or difficult they find it to get good staff, whether their residents can afford to stay in their homes once they enter and whether there is any legislation which is creating an unnecessary burden on them."

Further information from Dr Anne Lee on 07973 175059

Notes for Editors

Care of Elderly People Market Survey 2004. Price £540 from Laing & Buisson, 29 Angel Gate, City Road, London EC1V 2PT. Tel 020 7833 9123

email: info@laingbuisson.co.uk

The following is an extract from this survey. "Based on official population projections, we project an increase in underlying demand for care home places of about 14,000 across the UK in the year to mid 2005 (other things being equal). The Government Actuary's most recent long term population projections, moreover, indicate almost a tripling in the volume of demand across all sectors from 444,000 residents in 2004 to 1,200,000 residents by 2051 (again, other things being equal)."