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CCFTV has consistently highlighted the practice of unfair and inappropriate evictions from care facilities.

In our experience, a significant number of those evictions are a care provider’s response to a family or resident raising repeated concerns about the lack of consistent care. In such circumstances, families have a reasonable expectation that any shortcomings will be addressed without recourse to a punishment eviction. Whilst acknowledging that providers have a duty of care for every resident, (meaning they must act in their best interests and prioritise their welfare), that should not be the automatic trotted out excuse for the removal of an individual resident without independent review. We have significant anecdotal evidence that suggests the vast majority of evictions occur when a care provider and family are in dispute.

At that point, providers take the easy option to end an older persons’ residency as a means of closing down a concern/complaint. Unfortunately, evidence exists to confirm that many vulnerable people evicted from a care home, subsequently die prematurely as a result of the associated trauma they experience as part of the move.That is a statistic most providers will recognise, yet the practice of arbitrary eviction continues unbated.

Local authorities and social workers should also have a responsibility to only seek placements for older people in care environments that have the necessary registrations to continue to accommodate residents as their health declines. Unless behaviour comes very challenging (and is therefore likely to create harm and risk for other residents) placement should only be made in care homes that are providing services along a care spectrum. It’s not good enough for a provider to allege care needs have changed and therefore eviction is necessary, without first being required to have an independent care assessment undertaken by a third party.

In an effort to further safeguard care home residents, we would repeat our calls for older people in homes to have the same tenancy rights enjoyed in the housing and rentals markets, making eviction a last resort with an opportunity for legal arbitration if necessary. The practice of giving a frail vulnerable elderly person 4 weeks’ notice to leave a care home must cease as soon as ever possible.