Red tape 'strangling' care homes

East Sussex County Council says Ridgewood Rise does not have enough residents to represent value for money and that the building is not up to scratch.

Twenty-six homes closed in East Sussex in the year to last July and care home owners say both local and central government are not doing enough to support them.

Here Graham Dean, from the East Sussex, Brighton and Hove Registered Care Homes Association, argues that red tape and poor funding are ruining care homes, while former owner Janet Richards explains why she was forced to close her home in Lewes.

Graham Dean, area vice-chairman of the East Sussex, Brighton and Hove Registered Care Homes Association

Many care home owners feel crippled by the sheer volume and complexity of the policies and regulations imposed upon them.

This is at a time when local authorities claim limited money is available for care due to lack of sufficient funding from central government.

The association represents a considerable number of care homes in Brighton and Hove and the homes are, of course, expected to comply with all relevant legislation and regulations and provide good quality care.

A number of care homes are criticised in the media for their inadequate standards of care but they are in the minority.

In such cases enforcement action is taken by the regulatory body, the Commission for Social Care Inspection, and the local authority would suspend new placements, moving vulnerable residents in serious cases.

Care home owners simply expect fair fees for the good standard of care provided and at present the fees paid by Brighton and Hove City Council are inadequate.

From April this year care home fees for funded residents were increased by only two per cent, although costs sustained by care homes had increased by four to five per cent.

The council says that insufficient funding is provided by central government.

Discussions will take place in the future between members of the association and Brighton and Hove City Council regarding fair fees but it may require increased contributions from central government to meet the cost involved. In addition to inadequate fee levels, our members are extremely concerned regarding the low number of placements by the council of older people to care homes - and consequently the considerable number of vacancies at present.

This could lead to many homes becoming financially unviable.

This does not apply to homes for older people with mental health needs or care homes for nursing where there is a shortage of beds.

It has been the policy of both central and local government to encourage elderly people to remain in their own homes. This is fine provided they have regular and satisfactory assistance. However, a new study published by Help the Aged in October concluded that hundreds of thousandsof elderly people go for an entire month without speaking to family or neighbours and are effectively trapped in their own homes.

An alternative is to live in a care home with good food and social interaction with like-minded people.

Residents can participate in activities when required and enjoy the entertainment and outings provided.

The homes give 24-hour care and a warm, friendly and comfortable environment, allowing the residents to become part of a new family.

Janet Richards had to close Normandy House Care Home in Lewes after owning it for 23 years

I feel that the current regulations make a small home of nine residents unviable so we decided to close.

It was a home where I felt small things like picking sweet peas from the garden for the flower lovers, picking vegetables from the garden for lunch, or my husband and I eating Sunday lunch with the residents counted for nothing.

I have a professional background in teaching and I just about managed the volume of regulation but my manager found it overwhelming.

I know the staff and I ran a good home with the emphasis on personal care. Indeed, I have had inspectors ask me to put their name down - even if only in jest, it suggests a reasonable standard.

But over the years the volume of paperwork and the hours spent on it, together with the feeling of lack of trust coming from the Commission for Social Care Inspection, took its toll and induced a permanent feeling of not doing enough.

A spokeswoman for the commission said: "Janet's story is not unique. The ever increasing volume of legislation being forced on the care home industry is making it increasingly difficult for the remaining care homes to survive."

The cost of the growing regulations and policies to these homes is increasing but this is happening at the same time as local authorities are refusing to increase the rates paid for residents at these care homes.

Therefore the good homes - the ones trying to meet the legislation - are the ones finding it increasingly difficult and are often forced to fund the increase in operating costs themselves, which no business can survive. Many of the residents in these homes have lived there and been happy there for years.

The owners, far from being heartless, are devastated at having to close the business they love and say goodbye to residents they have cared for for decades.

What do you think? Should care homes get more money? Are local authorities like East Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council doing enough to support them? Let us know below

• Read our story about the expected closure of Ridgewood Rise care home here