The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published a couple of reports concerning their investigations into the care home market in the U.K. The first is a final report on the general market, and looks at how elderly and vulnerable residents are being treated. The second consists of an order to stop care homes from overcharging families in upfront costs, fees and continuing to charge families when the resident passes away.
The care home sector has seen a fair amount of scrutiny in the past few years, and for good reason. These institutions take in the elderly and vulnerable to provide them with a home and a sense of community with peers. These people are the most susceptible to harm as their physical and mental states deteriorate; relying on carers to look after them.
The Final Report, published on 20 November 2017, found two main areas requiring improvement:
| Those that require care need greater support in choosing a care home, and greater protections when they’re residents. These vulnerable people shouldn’t just be lumped in any care home where substandard care is provided; they should be given an affordable choice and quality care. |
| The care home industry requires significant reforms and additional public funding to ensure that there are enough care homes that people can afford and that they can receive quality care. |
The CMA recognises that the U.K.’s care homes sector is worth around £15.9 billion a year with around 410,000 residents, and we mustn’t forget that the “nature and quality of care has a massive impact on the person’s happiness, health and longevity.”
Our population continues to age as our life-expectancy grows. The demand for care will likely keep increasing, and the type of care will likely change too. The increase for demand will need to be met, and right now, it’s not very sustainable.
The CMA’s consumer research found that those entering care must be able to make an informed choice with regards to the type of care home they want to reside in, and what care and assistance they need. They should therefore be provided this kind of information, including eligibility for funding so they can find somewhere that’s suitable and affordable. This decision is a vital one; once they move in, it would be, “extremely stressful” for them to move again owing to a poor choice.
Care homes must ensure their pricing plans are transparent and understandable. They should not be taking advantage of the sometimes time-sensitive decision to choose a care home, nor should they skim over fees that put the residents and their families at a disadvantage.
The CMA recommends that local authorities should also be more involved with the development and funding of care homes so residents have more choice of affordable care.