Nearly a third of Staffordshire care homes falling below standards
Nearly a third of care homes in Staffordshire are not meeting the required standards set by the health watchdog, it has emerged, as plans were unveiled to build two new facilities in the south of the county.
Some 29 per cent of care homes in the county are rated as either requires improvement or inadequate, compared to 18 per cent in the West Midlands.
County council bosses say they are facing an elderly care crisis with the number of care homes falling and the cost of placements rising, meaning more must be built.
New plans for two care homes in Stafford or South Staffordshire have been revealed in a new report to create much-needed places.
They are the two parts of the county identified as being most in need of new places.
The move will cost around £1 million, and part of the spend will also include refurbishing a home in Burton.
The county council says the cost of elderly care has risen, meaning families are being forced to pay more.
There are also fears the lack of places is driving down quality of facilities.
Health chiefs hope the creation of more places will ease pressure on the system and bring costs down.
The average cost of a care place for a new client in South Staffordshire in 2018/19 was £964, £854 in Stafford and £724 in Cannock Chase.
Councillor Alan White, head of health and care at Staffordshire County Council, said: “With the number of nursing homes decreasing in the county, and prices rising for existing placements, we have to ensure there are enough good-quality places available that meet demand and represent the best use of taxpayer’s money
"Increasing nursing home capacity will mean we can offer good-quality, cost-effective placements to meet the assessed eligible social care needs of people in Staffordshire."
The report said the investment would "see the county council developing high-care environments which maximises the use of advances in technology to support the needs of residents".
