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Care Home Fears Food Quality Drop on Tight Budgets
14 May
Summary
- Care home warns of quality decline due to insufficient local authority funding.
- Daily food budget for residents is only £5.50 per person.
- Government pledges billions in additional adult social care funding by 2028-29.
Banbury Heights, a care home in Oxfordshire offering council-funded places, has publicly appealed for more realistic funding from the local authority. The home's owner highlighted the constant pressure of balancing increasing costs for care, staff, and food with current funding levels.
He explained that the daily food budget per resident is £5.50, making it challenging to provide nutritious meals as prices for ingredients like cod have seen a 60% increase. The home manager stressed the vital impact of food on residents' wellbeing, including skin integrity and mental health.
Oxfordshire County Council stated that its funding rates are reviewed regularly and are sufficient, but acknowledged that adult social care funding remains a national challenge. The government has committed over £4.6 billion in additional funding for adult social care by 2028-29.
