Care homes for older people

17 August 2005

The OFT welcomes the positive response to its care homes report from the English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish administrations and the national regulators.

See press release.
See the Government's response to the study on the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform website.
See the Scottish Executive response to the study.
See the Welsh Assembly Government's response to the study.
See the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety Northern Ireland response to the study.

18 May 2005

The OFT study into the care homes market for older people found that people need easier access to information when choosing a care home and more support once in a home. Care homes also need to ensure that fee related terms used in their contracts are fair and transparent.

The report makes a series of recommendations to improve the way in which the care homes market is working for older people and their representatives. A key recommendation is that the government should establish a central information point or 'one stop shop' where people can get clear information about care for older people.

Download Care homes for older people in the UK (pdf 1.1 mb).

See below for annexes.

See press release.

The report's recommendations include:

• Authority care home directories should cover all care homes for older people in their area; listing services offered by the care homes. They should also include Authority levels of funding for care home places, and identify all care homes that require additional payments above the amount the Authority is usually prepared to pay.
• All care home regulators should make their care home inspection reports available online, and make them more user-friendly, for example by including a short summary at the beginning.
• The Government should establish a central information source or 'one stop shop' for people to get information about care for older people.
• The Government should clarify the guidance to Authorities on the Choice of Accommodation Directions, to make it clear that self-funded older people with an assessed need should have access to the same advice, guidance and assistance on choice as older people receiving public funding.
• Authorities should ensure their advice and information materials for older people and their representatives state very clearly that an older person with an assessed need, who is entitled to Authority funding, does not need to secure a top up in order to find a care home place that is suitable for their needs.
• Care homes should provide the price in writing of accommodation and residential or nursing fees promptly and prior to the older person making the decision to enter a home. The Government should amend the relevant regulations to include this as a requirement.
• Care homes should ensure urgently that all their residents are provided with written contracts or statements of terms, and that care home regulators and inspectorates monitor this to ensure that significant improvements are delivered in the shortest possible time.
• The Department of Health and, as far as it is within their power to do so, the devolved administrations, should amend relevant legislation and guidance so that authorities are responsible for contracting and paying for the full costs of accommodation, including any top up fees.
• Care home regulators should produce an easy-to-understand document that provides practical information to all older people living in care homes and their representatives about the redress options open to them.

We are also alerting care homes to our general guidance on the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations and also our guidance on unfair terms in care home contracts.  We will continue to take enforcement action against potentially unfair terms in care home contracts where appropriate.

Annexes

• Annexe A (pdf 292 kb) Authority obligations and guidance
• Annexe B (pdf 585 kb) Survey of Authorities
• Annexe C (pdf 504 kb) General research findings
• Annexe D (pdf 315 kb) Methodology
• Annexe E (pdf 558 kb) Survey of providers of residential and nursing care homes for older people
• Annexe F (pdf 1.7 mb) Survery of older people in care homes
• Annexe G (pdf 1.4 mb) Care homes mystery shopping
• Annexe H (pdf 487 kb) Case studies of elderly consumers choosing a care home
• Annexe I (pdf 278 kb) Complaints procedure
• Annexe J (pdf 290 kb) Regulatory framework
• Annexe K (pdf 606 kb) Consumer behaviour and care homes - a literature assessment
• Annexe L (pdf 257 kb) Paying for care
• Annexe M (pdf 104 kb) Organisations that were consulted

Background

The study follows an informal super-complaint by the Consumers' Association on 5 December 2003.

See a list of organisations that provide information and help regarding care homes in the UK.

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