A PRIVATE nursing home owner has spoken out about the lack of funding provided by social services to look after the area's elderly.

Derek Ingham, who runs Laurel Bank Nursing Home in Embsay, said private care home owners were facing a deepening crisis because of inadequate funding from local authorities.

And he said the situation was so bad that he had faced bankruptcy and other care home owners in Craven were struggling to keep their properties open.

Mr Ingham has been running Laurel Bank for the last 15 years with his wife Marian.

He said the home used to be profitable, but over the last couple of years, small private care homes such as his own, had struggled to fill all their beds.

"The money given to local authorities by the Government to pay our fees has not really matched inflation and North Yorkshire County Council's social services has also suffered cuts in its funding for the last two to three years.

"Such is the situation here in Craven that social services cannot afford to fund the number of people who want to come into care."

He added as a consequence for almost the whole of last year, Laurel Bank ran with six empty beds.

Mr Ingham added that because fees paid by local authorities had not increased over the years, care home owners were finding it increasingly difficult to provide the round-the-clock care needed for some elderly patients, as well as trying to pay staff and run a nursing home.

At the end of last year in a desperate bid to save the business from bankruptcy, Mr Ingham had to sell the home.

Now, part of it is being used for residential purposes, whilst he leases the back of the property.

However, this move halved the number of beds available at the home from 15 to 30.

Mr Ingham added the problem was not unique to Laurel Bank and he said he knew of numerous homes in the Craven area, which were facing similar problems.

He added he understood it was a national problem and local authorities could only spend what was provided from central Government, but he believed the situation was reaching crisis point.

Mr Ingham said the lack of funding was not only a serious issue for care homes though, but also hospitals and elderly people.

"My understanding is that elderly people are increasingly being left in their own homes and cared for there because the local authorities cannot afford to pay for them to be put into homes.

"Others are being put into hospital and looked after there, but this results in hospital beds being blocked.

"With the advances in medical care, we have an ageing population and this situation is going to just going to get worse for everyone concerned."

Local authorities received emergency funding from central Government to help ease the problem of bed blocking especially through the winter months, and although this has helped social services in Craven get elderly people out of hospitals and into homes, this funding is only available until March.

Shelagh Marshall, North Yorkshire County Council's executive member for social services, said: "This is not just a local situation, it is a problem on a national scale. Our social services are strapped for cash and it has to limit the number of people placed in homes each month."

She added it was something local authorities could not do much about, as the amount they could spend on care was dictated by the Government.

Coun Marshall added: "I've received lots of queries from people who ask how long their parent will have to remain in hospital before a bed can be found."