Nine in ten councils will run out of care homes places within five years because they are not doing enough to cope with the ageing population

The vast majority of councils will be hit by a dramatic shortage of care home places within five years, a major audit reveals today.

The shortfall is set to be particularly acute in 14 areas, where the number of extra care home places the council is planning is at least 25 per cent lower than needed.

An incredible 87 per cent of town halls will not have enough places to meet demand by 2022 – because they are not doing enough to cope with the demands of an ageing population 

The analysis by the consumer group Which? found that by 2022, there will be an estimated shortfall of 42,000 elderly care home beds across England. In the worst-hit area – Bracknell Forest in Berkshire – there will be 161 fewer places than needed, a shortfall of 53 per cent.

Next comes Lewisham in south London, where the shortfall works out at 48 per cent, or 355 beds short. Haringey’s shortfall is projected to be 38 per cent, followed by Hartlepool (35 per cent) and Milton Keynes (33 per cent).

Devon will have the largest shortage in terms of the number of beds, with a projected 1,921.

The figures highlight the depth of the crisis facing England’s broken care system. Last month the Mail revealed that the CQC watchdog is intervening over poor standards in care firms four times every day – an increase of almost 70 per cent in just one year.

Alex Hayman, of Which?, said: ‘It’s heartbreaking that families who have no choice but to put a relative into care then have the additional stress of not knowing if they can find a space in a suitable home that’s close to loved ones.

‘It is vital that the Competition and Markets Authority looks at the potentially huge local disparities in provision, which could reach crisis point if nothing is done.’

The Which? research used population projections to look at how many care places will be needed in each local authority by 2022 to keep provision for the over-80s at the same level as it is now. It then compared that to what will be provided by 2022 if the pace of annual increases in the number of places continues.

It takes up to seven years to plan, build and open a care home – and Which? says this means that many local areas will not be able to respond quickly enough when it becomes apparent there are not enough places.

Izzi Seccombe, from the Local Government Association, said: ‘These findings reinforce our warning about the urgent need to reform adult social care and deliver a long-term sustainable solution that delivers a range of high-quality care and support for the growing numbers of people who will need it.

‘It is absolutely critical that the Government uses the Autumn Budget to bring forward its consultation for social care announced in the Queen’s Speech, and that it works with local government leaders in delivering a long-term sustainable solution for social care.

‘To tackle the problems we face tomorrow, we must start planning today.’

SOURCE: Daily Mail, Daniel Martin