Care home cut claims denied (From Western Telegraph)

Care home cut claims denied

Claims that Pembrokeshire County Council is cutting back on the number of public-funded places in homes for the elderly have been denied by the authority.

One care home worker alleged that homes in Pembrokeshire were 'blocked' from accepting new permanent clients. He also claimed that maintenance in council-run homes was being neglected.

"The elderly and their families have assumed that a place in a local authority home would be available to them if required. This option is now being denied,'' alleged the man, who would not be named for fear of jeopardising his job.

"As opposed to Carmarthenshire, which has a ten-year £17 million scheme to provide for 500 residents, this county appears set to rid itself of all council-run permanent care beds, apart from a few for the elderly mentally infirm.''

But the authority denied that it was cutting back on the number of people placed in either private sector homes or its own homes.

"There are about the same number this year as last year. In fact, numbers have slightly increased,'' said its spokesman.

The authority, he added, was supporting more people at home in the community with packages of care.

"The aim of this is to ensure that wherever possible people can, if they wish, be supported in their own home or in the community, rather than be admitted permanently to a residential setting,'' he said.

Some privately-run residential homes have admitted that they are struggling to stay in business. They have had to invest heavily to bring their businesses up to European standards, but the council won't increase its level of funding for local authority care beds in these homes. o Pembrokeshire has 826 men and women living in nursing and residential care homes.

This represents 3.3% of the pensioners living in the county. Carmarthenshire has 902 (2.3%) and Ceredigion has 228 (1.4%). The highest percentage is in Denbighshire.