Nursing homes hearing set for 8 July16 June 2003A date has now been set for a special Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Social Services, Health and Housing to investigate the rapid loss of nursing homes in the borough. Chairman, Cllr. Ernest Tomlin announced last week the decision to call an urgent special meeting of the OSC to investigate the steep decline of in-borough beds for older residents. Over 100 beds have been lost in the last two years due to the closure of Delves House and Vicarage Gate nursing homes. Cllr. Tomlin has invited the Elizabeth Finn Trust, the charity which previously owned the the Vicarage Gate Home, and other interested parties to submit views and comments to the special meeting of the OSC by 27 June. "We know from detailed research carried out for the Royal Borough last year that we are facing a shortfall of several hundred places in nursing homes over the next 30 years," explained Cllr. Tomlin. "If something is not done about this, older residents, both those who fund their own care and those supported by the Royal Borough, will have no choice but to try and find places in other parts of London breaking their family and other ties with the Royal Borough. "OSCs are there not only to keep an eye on the way the council is run but to speak out on big issues affecting our residents," he added. "There are few things more important than making sure our frail and vulnerable residents are looked after either in their homes or if that's no longer possible as close to home as we can manage." The meeting is due to be at 6.00pm, Tuesday 8 July in the Civic Suite at the Town Hall. For further information contact Press and Public Relations. Notes to Editors: The Royal Borough supports 343 older people in residential and nursing care homes. 48 percent of people placed are in homes out of the Borough, a greater proportion than would want to do so out of choice. The only local nursing home places now available to the Council are those at Thamesbrook (56 places). Nearly all new nursing home placements (40 in 2001/02) are out of Borough with about 50 percent of residential home placements also outside the Borough (24 out of 50 in ½). There is a national closure rate of care home places of around 4 percent of the supply annually (3.8 percent in 2000). In the Royal Borough, two homes - Delves House and Vicarage Gate, a total of over 100 places - have closed over the last two years. The Royal Borough has the lowest supply of home places per 10,000 residents who are over 65 of all Inner London Boroughs excluding the City (at 31 March 2001 the ratio for the Royal Borough was 181 compared with an average of 280. Wandsworth and Lambeth had twice the Royal Borough's ratio - 388 and 375 respectively). Based on trends in population, expert consultants have advised the Royal Borough that current demand for places - from people who buy their own care and those supported by the Royal Borough - is likely to rise by nearly 300 by 2031 (from 621 to over 900); Given other plans the advice is that it would be prudent for the Royal Borough to aim for the development of 200 new home places in the Borough over this period. The Royal Borough is already doing what it can to increase places and expects to redevelop the nursing home site at Ellesmere, Fulham Road by 2005. The scheme will include a new 60 place nursing home, a day centre and joint health and social care rehabilitation services for older people.
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