New research finds outsourcing care homes in England disproportionately disadvantages poorer areas

The impact of the outsourcing of vital care services to the private sector on the growth and survival of care homes was previously unclear. The research is the first longitudinal study of care home closures in England that uses complete data on all care home closures, including inspection ratings. Addressing these challenges will require coordinated efforts from policymakers, funding bodies, and the care sector to create a more resilient and equitable system. The analysis was based on data on enforced closures requested by the CQC and the publicly available CQC data repository. Registered charities, councils, and NHS Trust care homes were considered ‘not-for-profit’ or public, whilst all private companies, partnerships, and individual providers without a charity number were considered ‘for-profit.’Read the full article in the journal BMJ Public Health.