21 February 2003
A charity for the elderly has bitterly attacked a government U-turn on minimum environmental standards in care homes.
Ministers bowed to pressure from care-home owners and dropped key standards covering facilities such as the availability of single rooms, room sizes, bathrooms and lifts.
Hilary Carter, a spokeswoman for Help the Aged, said the charity was appalled. She criticised the government for its continued refusal to fund residential care for the elderly. 'We believe that all older people, regardless of their income, should have the right to live in a room of their own, with space for visitors and some of their personal possessions,' she said.
The decision has been expected ever since a consultation exercise launched last July. Care homes in existence prior to April 2002 will now be exempt from minimum standards on the physical environment. Only homes built since that date will be covered.
The National Care Homes Association said the decision would ease the pressure on homes that had contemplated closure.
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