Would you want to live in a converted primary school?
Nearly eight in ten care homes are more than 20 years old, and almost four in ten new conversions are based on designs for former uses that don’t prioritise “modern resident wellbeing”, such as full wet-room facilities, often described as a key requirement for residents with complex needs.
But such facilities remain in demand because supply has failed to keep up with need – with only 2.5 per cent growth in care home beds comparted to a 16.2 per cent increase in the over 65 demographic in the UK over the last decade.
The findings in a report out this week from specialist estate agent Knight Frank make for grim reading, which also points out that nearly one in five homes are currently ranked as ‘Requires Improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission.
The company said the report’s headline grabbing statistic - that the sector will be at capacity by 2033 if it continued its current growth trajectory - should serve as a “call to action” for investors and developers to push harder for record investment in the sector to translate through to faster growth to meet demand.
It has encouraged focus in certain areas via a ‘development hotspots index’ that has ranked South Glamorgan in Wales, Lothian in Scotland, and Berkshire in England as the strongest areas for investment based on demographic demand, land values and supply pipeline.
However, it warns that planning approvals granted for 2026 are lower than those in 2025, suggesting a narrowing development pipeline and an increasing lag between planning consent and actual delivery.
It is in all our interests to rise to this challenge. Would you want to be living in a repurposed primary school with inadequate facilities to meet your needs if and when the time comes and you need more support than your family can offer?
Care home environments really matter. They can be the difference between a comfortable, sociable and above all enjoyable dotage, and a descent into physical and mental decline simply because of a lack of access to the kinds of spaces that allow one to thrive and flourish.
We don’t become less human as we age. It’s time for policy makers working on planning, workforce and investment reforms to pull together with care provider, staff and resident leaders to make sure this issue gets the public understanding and backing needed to grasp the opportunity seen across the sector to turn the tide - and make turning our backs on our older people a thing of the past.
