CARE home owners in Sussex have been thrown a lifeline after the Government caved in on tough new standards which threatened to put many out of business.

Dozens of care places have already closed across the county after home owners quit the business because of the cost of installing new facilities and making structural changes.

Ministers have bowed to pressure by weakening a series of expensive regulations.

Closures in many areas have added to problems of bed-blocking on hospital wards.

Now homes that existed before April 2002 will no longer be expected to meet some of the most rigid physical standards demanded of new homes.

For many care home owners, selling their properties made more sense in a housing boom.

There were 33 home closures in Brighton and Hove alone during 2000 and a further 21 in 2001.

The shortage of homes has led to Sussex hospitals delaying an average of 100 discharges per day because patients who still needed some care had nowhere to go.

This helped fuel a bed-blocking crisis which was costing taxpayers almost £4.5 million a year.

Under the relaxed guidelines, care home owners will be required to tell prospective residents whether they meet the minimum standards.

However, many of the proposed regulations have been relaxed to allow homes to accommodate 20 people in groups of ten rather than the proposed 16 people in groups of eight.

Existing homes will no longer be required to provide one assisted bath or shower for every eight residents.

Homes will also be allowed to retain stair or chair lifts instead of being required to put in ramps and passenger lifts and single rooms will no longer have to be at least ten square metres if extra communal or ensuite space is made available.

In addition, they will be expected to provide one toilet for every three residents, instead of two, which must be near rather than adjacent to bedrooms and residents in drink and drug recovery homes will be allowed to share rooms.

Health Minister Jacqui Smith said: "We listened to care home owners, residents and their relatives about the national minimum standards.

"Vulnerable and older people should not have to worry about how their home will meet the costs of some of the more challenging standards."

Meanwhile, the Department of Health has confirmed it will try to overturn a House of Lords defeat on plans to fine councils who fail to tackle bed blocking.