Michael Fabricant has expressed his concern over the lack of funding for
care homes in Staffordshire and says "Care homes are essential to the
health and social care yet tragically every month an estimated 1,000 care
beds are lost in England. In order to ensure that residents have a choice
of accommodation and that their stability and care needs are suitably met it
is essential that care homes receive the true cost of care from their local
authorities. When homes close it causes deep upset for the residents, their
friends and families.

"I would like to take this opportunity to call for an independent inquiry
into the financing of the care home sector. The problems need to be
analysed and the level of funding calculated in order to maintain proper
standards, employing qualified and stable staff and fulfilling society’s
responsibilities to those people who need care".

Michael has backed a cross-party Parliamentary Motion backed by Labour
Conservative and other MPs which reads:-
That this House notes with concern the funding problems of the independent
care sector in England which are leading to an estimated loss of over a
thousand care home beds each month, to cost cutting, to inadequate staffing
because rates of pay are not suitable to attract and hold qualified staff or
offer them appropriate career paths to develop their skills, and which are
also leading to the closure of homes with consequent disturbance to the
residents and an inability to assure the elderly that they will have
stability and that their care needs will be met appropriately in the home of
their choice; believes that this problem arises because of the variations
and inadequacy of fee levels offered by local authorities which are not
adequate to finance proper care; and further believes that the time has come
for an independent inquiry into the financing of this sector to analyse the
problems, to look at experience overseas and in Scotland and to define the
levels of funding appropriate to maintaining proper standards, employing
qualified and stable staff, developing their skills and training and
providing homes and staff with a secure future in a healthy sector which can
fulfil society’s responsibilities to our older citizens.