In five years’ time there could be no private care homes left in the UK, according to independent Think Tank ResPublica.
‘If nothing in the funding regime changes within five years, there will be a projected loss of 37,000 care beds as funding fails to meet demand. With the sector under immense financial strain, the likelihood is this time there will be no private provider of last resort.’
Other observers have predicted that if any care homes manage to weather the storm, they will only be available to a privileged few ‘self funders’, who don’t need Council funding and are able to pay for their care in full.