Changes in communal provision for adult social care 1991-2001

An investigation of the changing patterns of residential care in the UK. This report examines shifting trends in care home provision for adults between1991 and 2001. Adult social care policy is currently under government review and this research makes a timely contribution to our understanding of the factors which impact on residential care. Detailed census data from 1991 and 2001 is analysed to reveal general trends in adult social care provision. A number of variables are used to understand these trends, including levels of local authority funded places, health and poverty indicators, property prices and provision of other types of social care. Consideration is also given to the changing age, gender, ethnicity and urban/rural profile of service users. The authors find a lack of equity in care home provision, and they conclude by raising topical questions about the future of residential care. This report will be of interest to national and local government policy makers, advisors and service providers, as well as planners and practitioners in the private and voluntary sector