The Earl of Selkirkasked her Majesty's Government:
What is the cost of maintaining old people in homes provided either by a local authority or under the National Health Service or by any other body receiving government financial support.
§ Lord SkelmersdaleThe cost varies considerably according to the type of property and the area in which it is situated. In England and Wales the average gross cost per resident week (excluding capital charges) of maintaining an old person in local authority accommodation was £114.81 in 1985–86. The National Health Service does not usually provide accommodation for old people other than hospital care. However, three experimental NHS nursing homes are being jointly funded by the Department and the NHS at Portsmouth, Sheffield and Fleetwood. As these are still being evaluated, it is too early to estimate the costs of these homes. Information about other bodies is not held centrally.