Elderly patients abused in almost every care home in England, new study suggests

ELDERLY patients are abused in almost every care home, a study suggests.

They are verbally or physically assaulted, roughly handled, left hungry and thirsty or ignored when needing help.

In the largest survey of care home staff in England, University College London researchers questioned 1,544 workers in 92 homes.

They revealed at least some abuse in 91 of these homes in the three months before. Charities blamed uncaring staff, low pay and workloads.

Some 26 per cent of staff had made a resident wait for help or witnessed a colleague doing so. The poll found 19 per cent were aware of them having insufficient time to eat. And 11 per cent told of a lack of care when moving them.

Five per cent were aware of verbal abuse and 1.1 per cent physical abuse.

Study leader Dr Claudia Cooper said: “The abusive behaviours reported were largely matters of neglect.

These were most common in care homes that also had high rates of staff burnout, which suggests staff are under pressure and unable to provide the level of care they would like.”

It comes a day after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt confirmed the Government plans to cap the amount an individual will have to pay for social care.

The Local Government Association said the abuse was “unacceptable” but stressed adult social care needs £2billion more each year by 2020.

HALF of local taxes raised by councils could go on adult social care under local government funding reforms, the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank has warned.