Evictions from care homes
29 March 2023
Research we supported by King’s College London has found that at least one in every 70 care residents in England received an eviction notice in the past year. The study also discovered that many evictions occurred as a result of complaints made by residents or their families.
Unfortunately, these findings reflect what we regularly hear on our helpline - that people are hesitant to raise concerns about their care, or use their legal rights due to fears of being evicted or facing other repercussions.
The researchers analysed data from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and identified that 5,871 care home residents received an eviction notice between September 2021 and October 2022. These statistics are alarming, but we believe they may only represent a fraction of the problem, as incidents of people being threatened with eviction are not currently included in the CQC's data.
For years, our charity has been expressing concerns to the government, Members of Parliament, and the CQC about these issues. We urgently need changes to protect families from facing these challenges alone. It is crucial to establish a central complaints procedure to safeguard people from reprisals, and the CQC must oversee and take action against inappropriate evictions as the regulator.
Helen Wildbore, director of Care Rights UK, said:
“Too many people who contact our helpline are afraid to speak out about their concerns with care for fear of reprisals, including eviction. This dangerous situation cannot continue, it is allowing poor care to fester. The CQC is leaving people at risk by failing to monitor and act upon inappropriate evictions. People needing care and their families are being abandoned to fight these failings on their own, causing unnecessary stress, anxiety and trauma. This must change. We must create a care system where people’s basic rights can be met.”
The research report was reported by several media outlets, including a documentary on ITV’s Tonight, on BBC Radio 4 You and Yours, and on the front page of the Observer.
We are incredibly grateful to all of our supporters who participated in this research and generously shared their experiences. It is through your willingness to share your stories that we are able to shed light on the challenges faced by care home residents and their families. Your insights and contributions are vital in shaping our advocacy efforts and campaigning for much-needed change.
For support on this issue, please see our Evictions Factsheet or contact our helpline.
You can read the research report in full here.