Care Home Evictions - Amid Local Council Funding Crises

Some have been forced to move due to local council funding battles but several families believe their loved ones are victims of 'revenge evictions'

Thousands of elderly and vulnerable people are being forced to move out of their care homes every year, with little warning and often in distressing circumstances.

There has been a steep rise in so-called “care home evictions”, with nearly 7,000 residents in England told their contracts were being terminated with just 28 days’ notice last year.

It marks an increase of more than 200 per cent since 2018, according to figures.

Being forced to move “can be traumatic, disorientating, and dangerous” for people with dementia or complex health conditions, said Jayne Connery, founder of Care Campaign for the Vulnerable.

A growing number of the evictions are down to local authorities refusing to cover fees for residents whose personal funds have run out and turn to council support, according to owners and managers of homes.

But about three quarters of cases result from “changes in care needs”, when residents’ conditions have worsened and they require more specialised services, the official figures indicate.

Industry insiders said that moves to manage people’s complex health conditions in social care settings rather than in hospital were admirable, but some homes are struggling to cope.

However, some families feel this is used as an excuse to carry out what they call “revenge evictions,” where care homes order a resident to leave after the relationship with them or their family breaks down. 

There is alarm over the risk of people with dementia spending the last months of their lives confused and upset at being surrounded by strangers in unfamiliar surroundings.

Campaigners and care workers say most homes act responsibly and compassionately, only terminating contracts as a last resort. And sometimes it is social workers at local authorities – rather than care homes – who are behind decisions to move a resident.

They underline that solutions allowing residents to stay can still be negotiated after a notice to quit is issued. 

Families are usually able to find places at alternative homes within a month, and providers almost always offer short extensions if that isn’t possible – but experts say it remains a fraught process for bewildered residents and panicking relatives.

Challenges from deteriorating health conditions

A total of 6,706 people were issued with “notices to quit” by their care homes in 2024, according to figures released by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following a Freedom of Information request. 

That marks a huge increase from the number six years earlier, when there were 2,130 cases. And last year was not a one-off – the number of cases surpassed 7,000 in both 2022 and 2023.

Nadra Ahmed, executive chair of the National Care Association, which represents small and medium-sized providers, said dealing with more people who have “acute clinical needs” is a challenge for some homes.

“For example, I’m dealing with a case at the moment where a provider has said they cannot take somebody back from hospital who’s on an IV line,” said Ahmed, who previously managed care homes herself. 

Sometimes moving people to other homes unfortunately becomes the only option to ensure they receive the services they need, she said.

Connery, who advocates for families in meetings with staff to help resolve disputes, said most homes are “exemplary” and agrees that many notices are issued for “legitimate” reasons. “I see the huge pressure they’re under.”

In some cases, people’s deteriorating conditions make them aggressive, potentially putting staff and other residents at risk. “It can be very disruptive,” she said. “This is nobody’s fault at all.” 

However, she claimed a minority of homes abuse the system, blaming health concerns while pushing residents out unfairly, often following complaints.

“Families will repeatedly raise concerns that they feel are not addressed by the provider. Then under the pretext that they can’t meet these needs or that expectations are too high, they will serve a 28-day notice,” said Connery. 

Some instances can be truly shocking, she claimed. “I have had cases where seven days notice has been given to an end-of-life patient.”

In another case, she said a woman had shown a care home clear proof of “willful neglect” towards her father, but the company refused to accept any blame and even called the daughter “vile” in an email.

“They said they were very capable of dealing with her, and the only reason they wanted her to leave was a ‘breakdown in communication’.” 

Calls for independent oversight of evictions

Many care workers bristle at use of the phrase “revenge evictions”, saying that cases typically result from relatives not understanding how or why someone has declined in old age.

They add that if residents or their families become abusive or aggressive towards staff, workers and other residents must be protected. 

But Lauren Byrne, policy and campaigns lead at Care Rights UK, said that some patients become aggressive because they are not being looked after properly. 

“There are real challenges in residential care homes in terms of staff training and retention, because the sector is poorly funded,” she said. 

“You really do need specialist training to know how to support somebody who’s living with dementia. Unfortunately, some people aren’t getting that specialised care. That’s when things can get worse for them and you start to see behavioural changes. 

“Homes sometimes put all the blame on the resident, when actually it’s about their care needs not being met. That’s when communications can break down, leading to revenge evictions.” 

Connery acknowledged that situations can be complicated when families become “over emotive”, but said the onus is on care companies to provide better information to relatives in advance.

“Their websites and glossy marketing brochures will say, ‘We are a specialist nursing home, we support people with dementia,’ so families are confident,” she said. 

“But once these issues come to the forefront, the nursing home will say: ‘Oops, sorry, we can’t deal with this, we don’t have the manpower, we don’t have the specialist support’.”

She is calling for earlier mediation, national guidance on when notices to quit can be issued, plus an independent body to review every eviction complaint and spot any patterns of potential abuses.

‘I placed a hidden camera in my mum’s room

Jayne Connery’s experience of trying to help her mother, Ellen, after abuse in a care home led Connery to become a full-time campaigner. 

The former Big Brother contestant says her partially sighted mum was assaulted by an overnight carer in one home, leading to her suffering a broken vertebra and losing weight.

“We moved her to another care home, and because my trust was completely eroded, I placed a hidden camera in her room. Within 24 hours I had seen that her care plan had not been adhered to,” she explains. 

“There was no cruel behavior, but there were shortcomings beyond anything I’d ever seen.” 

She complained to the home. “But two days later, my mother received a 28-day eviction notice, saying that our expectations were too high and that their trust had broken down because I had put the camera in. 

“I said: ‘This can’t happen, this is outrageous.’ But I had to pack up my mother’s things and find her another nursing home.”

Local councils refusing to pay care fees

Ahmed also knows what it’s like when a loved one is served with a notice to quit. 

However, she says the situation with her father was an example of a care home doing everything it could to support a resident, yet a move was unavoidable.

Her dad had gone into hospital aged 92, suffering from a fracture after a fall, and ended up being stuck there. “He was fit to leave after about three weeks, but the social workers could not agree the care package he needed. It went on and on and on,” she said.

He developed a condition called delirium, sometimes known as sudden confusion, which Ahmed believes was due to his frustrating spell in hospital. 

He believed the hospital was his own home and couldn’t understand why other patients were there, she explains. “He would scream at night. He would tell the nurses: ‘Everybody’s against me’.”

He was finally placed in a home, but it didn’t go well. “He was quite violent with the staff, he would hit them, try and trip them up,” she said. 

“They tried their best, but I would get calls in the middle of the night saying: ‘He’s kicking off again.’ After about six months, they said: ‘We can’t look after him anymore’.”

During his 28-day notice, he went into hospital with sepsis. Doctors believed they had treated his infection and released him, but the illness came back and he died three days later.

Ahmed believes that some distressed families might be tempted to blame a story like her father’s on care home staff, but she says that would be wrong, and that it highlights how difficult some cases can be.

She accepts the system is far from perfect, however. She is concerned about increasing reports from care homes that they are having to choose between accepting vastly reduced fees from local authorities or telling a resident they must leave.

Ahmed cited the recent case of a 100-year-old man who was at risk of being moved because a council was refusing the £850 per week fees of his place at a home, well below the national average weekly cost of £1,300. 

She helped the home eventually strike a deal allowing the centenarian to remain, but says not all residents stuck in the middle of funding fights will be so fortunate. 

Ahmed is angered by cases where people have sold their homes and used all their cash to secure the services they need over many years, until they run out of money. 

“They’ve saved the state thousands and thousands of pounds by paying for their own care, after working hard and paying taxes all their life. Then they get to this stage and they’re being told they have to move because the local authority won’t fund their place.”

Care funding battles explained

In England, people in care homes must pay their fees themselves, unless or until their savings and assets are collectively worth less than £23,250. Only then do they qualify for any financial assistance. 

Care homes have to cover the costs in the meantime, without knowing how long this will take or what they will end up receiving, which is tough because many are small or medium-sized businesses. 

Haris Khan, co-founder of Curaa Group, which runs four homes in southern England with a total of 150 beds, said residents may have previously been paying £1,200 a week for their care, only for a council to declare it will cover just £700. 

Khan is currently in negotiations over funding for seven residents. He said he will do everything he can to reach a settlement so they can stay put, but the delay and uncertainty can be stressful for these people. 

“Because the local authority moves so slowly, there is an inordinate amount of pressure on a small business to carry on funding.

“In one case, by the time we agreed what they were going to pay us, we were owed £100,000. But they’ll say: ‘We’re only going to pay you £70,000.’”

Umbreen David, managing director of Iden Manor Nursing Home in Staplehurst, Kent, said her team has been involved in protracted talks with councils that fail to offer a “sustainable fee”. 

Her home has never asked a resident to leave as a result of this, she said, with deals eventually being struck.

‘Fear of being penalised for raising concerns’

Chris Badger, the CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care, is concerned about allegations of revenge evictions. “No one should live in fear of being penalised for raising concerns,”

.

“Most people are served notice by a provider due to a change in need, in discussion with that person and their family. Sadly, we are aware that this is not always the case… Appropriate action will be taken if we find providers failing in their responsibilities.” 

Badger added that although the CQC does not have power to intervene in individual cases, his team look at how homes handle complaints, which can affect their official ratings.

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association said councils are always focused on the well-being of people in their social care services.

When residents need to be moved because their conditions have changed, local authorities work closely with their families to “ensure ongoing stability and safety”, they said. “Where ‘suitable’ accommodation alternative isn’t available, councils can be required to cover the cost of higher-cost provision.”

The spokesperson added that the “adult social care sector is in desperate need of reform and sustainable investment, to enable everyone equal access to the care and support they need, when and where they need it”.

A Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the distress that any change in care arrangements can cause to vulnerable residents and their families. Everyone has the right to receive safe, high-quality care and local authorities have a duty to arrange and fund support services for those that can’t afford it.” 

They said social care is “facing significant challenges following a decade of neglect, but we are turning it around”.

An independent commission led by Baroness Casey will make recommendations on improving standards and strengthening accountability.

A more suitable alternative in many cases is to have a Granny Annexe in your garden providing independent living for your loved ones. Our recent article explores that idea.