Last Updated on January 18, 2018
Half of England’s large elderly care home providers have at least one in four homes in their network rated Requires Improvement or Inadequate, according to Which? research into the performance of large care home providers.
Which? undertook an analysis of Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection data for 54 providers that operate at least 12 homes in England, catering only for the over-65s. It found that some had half or more of their homes classed as Requires Improvement or Inadequate by the regulator.
Two of the biggest providers, Four Seasons Health Care (43rd) and Orchard Care Homes (49th), finished near the bottom of the Which? rankings. More than a third (35%) of 167 Four Seasons' homes in the analysis were rated as Inadequate or Requires Improvement by CQC, while it was almost half (46%) of 44 Orchard Care Homes.
Which? says that Ideal Care Homes, which runs 16 homes across the Midlands, the North West and Yorkshire, had more than three in five (63%) classed as Requires Improvement or Inadequate by the regulator. 60% of Akari Care Ltd's 20 homes across the country were classed as Requires Improvement or Inadequate in the Which? analysis.
There were some success stories, however. At the top of the table, both Avery, which operates nationwide, and North Yorkshire County Council, had all their homes rated as Good or Outstanding.
Small homes fared better than large ones. Just 13% of English homes with 10 beds or fewer were rated as Inadequate or Requires Improvement, however, for homes with 120 or more beds, 41% were in these categories.
Which? says that overall, its analysis demonstrates how deep problems with quality and choice run in the care system. Which? has already heard from more than 1,000 people who have highlighted serious problems with finding high-quality, affordable long-term care for older relatives.
The consumer champion is warning that the situation could deteriorate rapidly as demand for places starts to outstrip supply in some areas.
Previous Which? research has shown that almost nine in 10 council areas across England are facing a shortfall in care home places by 2022, and some of those areas already have more than half their beds rated as Requires Improvement or Inadequate.
Which? is calling on the Government to act urgently on the Competition and Markets Authority’s recommendations on information provision, complaints and unfair charges, and to use its Green Paper to set out how it will deliver a sustainable system that provides affordable, high quality care for all.