Homes for old get tough watchdog

MORE THAN 500,000 pensioners will be promised new rights to dignity in old age today, when the Government unveils plans to improve residential care homes.

The Health minister John Hutton is to announce the creation of an independent commission to police all Britain's 15,000 old people's homes in a "crusade" to root out neglect and abuse. The plans will affect private and council- run homes.

Central to the regime will be a "bill of rights" for residents, including the right to privacy while bathing and dressing, the right to wholesome meals and a guaranteed room size. Every resident will have the right to determine their own care plan, backed by a tough complaints system to ensure their demands are met.

The commission, made up of charities and other care experts, will be able to fine or close homes deemed to have failed to meet the new standards.

The move follows recent disclosures that standards in some homes are falling as private firms and councils fail to cope with increasing numbers of residents. In one home, frail and vulnerable pensioners were woken every day at 4.30am and left to sit for long periods in their own waste.

Today's announcement acts on recommendations from a government task force set up last year to look into allegations of neglect of the elderly. It found there was no national co-ordination of the way councils, housing associations and private care companies ran their homes. While the law says there should be twice-yearly inspections of every home in the country, recent surveys have found some councils have high standards but others fail to meet the statutory minimum.

More than 60 per cent of care homes are privately run and ministers are concerned that monitoring of their regimes is inadequate.

The new system may also be aimed at deflecting criticism of the Government after reports that Frank Dobson, Secretary, of State for Health, was to water down proposals to give free long-term nursing care to all, regardless of wealth.

The idea was a central recommendation of the Royal Commission set up by Mr Dobson to review the growing problem of old people being forced to sell their homes to pay for residential care.

Pensioners' groups such as Age Concern have accused him of "betraying" the hopes of those who believed Labour would end the problem.

The commission, which published its findings in March, suggested the free scheme would cost pounds 1.3bn a year initially and would rise to pounds 7.5bn in real terms by 2051.

However, with an increasingly ageing population, Mr Dobson has balked at the cost and is understood to favour an alternative scheme costing pounds 90m a year to give people a three-month "breathing space" before having to sell their homes.

A Department of Health spokesman said Mr Dobson would not be making a formal response to the Royal Commission until later in the year.