Should Local Authorities be given more credit?

Continuing with last week’s more upbeat note, I enjoyed the recent article on the Health Investor News site “Weathering the Storm”.

In it, Kenneth MacKenzie, the Managing Partner of Target Advisers on behalf of AEGON, points to the opportunities for commercial care home providers to take on new work as local authorities close many more of their care homes.

He says that 2011 will see a sharp rise in the number of Local Authority care homes being closed as the necessity to cut expenditure outweighs the political difficulties in closing council run homes.

Whilst nobody rejoices at care home closures, LAs are to be applauded for making tough and sometimes politically sensitive decisions; but closing relatively inefficient and expensive council run homes shows strong and sensible leadership.

Ideal Care Homes have helped several councils recently to make trouble free closures by developing brand new care homes in close proximity to council run homes, enabling residents and their families to move with peace of mind.

Ideal Care Homes sister company, LNT Construction has redeveloped 10 former LA care home sites since 2005 and is currently in discussions with seven LAs about redevelopment programmes.

This is in addition to our current development pipeline of 38 new care homes nationwide, bringing over 2,000 beds in great places to live over the next 20 months.