Quality of care homes got worse in 1 in 5 local authorities in the last year

A dramatic variation in the quality of care homes at a regional and local authority level across England continues to exist. 

In some areas, older people and their families continue to face little choice of quality care, with around 1 in 2 homes rated not good enough by the Care Quality Commission. 

Dominic Carter, Senior Policy Officer at Alzheimer’s Society, said:

'These figures are shocking and shameful, but they tell a story we hear all too often. Decades of chronic under-funding mean care homes are stuck between a rock and a hard place, struggling to meet rising need with shrinking resources, forcing families affected by dementia to make impossible choices.

'Not only have we heard of poor quality care, but also of families struggling to even get their loved ones with dementia a place in a care home – one woman told us how she called round nine homes before she could find one willing to take her mother.

'70% of people in care homes have dementia, and they are at the mercy of a system on the brink of collapse.

'The Government must act now, with meaningful investment and a fresh approach to delivering care, or the system will collapse and people with dementia will continue to suffer needlessly.'