HUNDREDS of elderly residents face being evicted from Wirral care homes as operators claim they are being forced out of business by council cuts.
Last night, Wirral Council insisted no decision had yet been made, but did acknowledge it had been consulting care home owners on a cut of 5% – equivalent to between £18 and £22 per resident per week.
The council says under the current contract it would be required to pay an increase of 4.7% at a time when the retail price index is just 0.01%, and there is an over-supply of residential and nursing home places with around 360 vacancies being available in Wirral at any time.
A spokesman for Adult Social Services said: “A comparison with neighbouring authorities across the North West has confirmed that Wirral pays more money for the same type of accommodation and care than other councils.” Cllr Tony Pritchard has taken up the cause of care home owners, saying many are already suffering poor occupancy rates, and will struggle if the cuts go ahead.
