BJSW Advance Access originally published online on June 20, 2005
British Journal of Social Work 2005 35(6):921-936; doi:10.1093/bjsw/bch217
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English Local Authority Powers, Responsibilities and Guidelines for Managing the Care Home Closure Process
Jacquetta Williams MSc is a Research Officer at the Personal Social Services Research Unit. Her current interests are the process and consequences of care home closures from the perspective of residents and relatives and social services staff. Ann Netten Ph.D. is the Director of the Personal Social Services Research Unit at the University of Kent. Her current interests are the economics of health and social care, including cost, quality and the development of measures of social care outcomes for older people.
Correspondence to Jacquetta Williams, Personal Social Services Research Unit, Cornwallis Building, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NF, UK. E-mail: J.M.Williams{at}kent.ac.uk
In England, the majority of older people living in care homes are publicly funded and the majority of publicly funded places are purchased from the independent sector. While the sector is subject to regulation, there is currently no statutory guidance aimed specifically at how care home closures are managed. This article reviews the powers and responsibilities of councils and the rights of residents during care home closures, before describing the prevalence and content of existing council guidelines. Just over a third of councils in England responded to inquiries and, of these, two-thirds reported having guidelines. This suggests that a considerable proportion of councils have no guidelines in place. Existing guidelines also varied. Differences included approaches to allocating responsibilities and providing help, and assessment to self-funding residents. The large number of arrangements and activities described suggest that some sort of plan or guidance is warranted to support the task of front line care managers. At the national level, the variation found in the guidelines combined with the lack of national guidance specific to closures suggests that clarification of councils’ legal responsibilities and powers during a care home closure is needed. Clarification of the role and responsibilities of the national regulatory body would also be useful.
Keywords: care homes, older people, closures, social services, guidance
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  J. Williams, A. Netten, and P. Ware Managing the Care Home Closure Process: Care Managers' Experiences and Views Br. J. Soc. Work, July 1, 2007; 37(5): 909 - 924. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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