§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will explain the methods used to arrive at his conclusions that(a) 80 per cent. of people would like to live at home rather than in a care home and (b) 10,000 care home vacancies exist; where these vacancies exist; in what geographical areas there is a shortage; and if he will publish the research documents. [145623]
§ Dr. LadymanA 1999 study titled, "Attitudes and Aspirations of Older People: A Review of the Literature", by Boaz, A, et al and published by the Department of Social Security, found that up to 80 per cent., of older people would strongly prefer to remain in their own home for as long as possible.
The source of the 10,000 spare capacity in care homes is Laing & Buisson's "Care of Elderly People Market Survey 2003". The report indicates in Table 2.2 that there are 470, 600 places in care homes (excluding long stay NHS beds). According to Table 5.1 demand for care places is some 460,000 people. Thus, there is 'spare' capacity of over 10,000 places in the United Kingdom. Further detail about the care home market can be found in the report.