The results of a National Care Association survey of independent Care provider members has shown that 24% of care providers could exist the market.
The very people the care sector relies on to provide high quality care are being squeezed to the point where many are considering and exit from the sector, which could create a serious bed shortage and have serious repercussions for the wider NHS.
The National Care Associations predicts – due to the £375 m black hole in state funding – such an exit could equate to the loss of 40,000 beds in the independent social care market. and the worsening of the bed blocking crisis already in evidence across much of the NHS.
The NCA points to a critical shortfall in the average council funding of about 8% for a typical care home placement care home placement as the significant contributory factor in the likely exodus of care providers. This underfunding together with the impact on Care Sector overheads of the introduction of the NLW National Living Wage in April 2016 is seriously eroding the viability of many care homes businesses.
Without increasing funding from local councils in recognition of the true cost of care the predicted market crash will spell the end of the road for many independent care homes … In short under very real threat is a UK support service which is essential to local government and NHS care provision.
More detail of the reports can be found in the following Links
