COUNTY Hall bosses today hit out at people who said there was no reason to close homes after the government decided not to force through new care home standards.

In January, Lancashire County Council claimed it would cost them £14.5million to bring 48 homes up to the new standards by 2007 and comply with a deadline set by the Department of Health.

It later emerged that £4.5million of that money was needed to bring the homes up to standard, with the extra £10million needed to refurbish them.

An independent report listed items including new fire alarms and en-suite bathrooms needed to refurbish the homes .

The same standards would apply to private care homes but after being told the cost of meeting the new standards was too high, health secretary Alan Milburn changed the policy.

He was told care homes would close, leaving some old people with nowhere to go other than hospital beds.

On Tuesday, he announced it would not be obligatory for home providers to meet the standards. But they must inform prospective residents and their families of which criteria they do not meet so they have the choice of which home to move into.

In theory, that would save the council at least £4.5million, presenting a stronger case for keeping the homes open, with the non-essential £10million repairs being carried out over time.

Repairs costing £1million have already been carried out this year.

But Coun Chris Cheetham, in charge of social services, said: "One of the Government's targets remains that we have to provide a wider variety of facilities for the elderly including care for them at home rather than in residential care.

"We recognise the recent announcement by the health secretary and believe our proposals are still in line with the Government's wishes."

This includes providing an expanded range of services, increasing choices for old people, more support for carers at home through the provision of respite care and faster assessment of older people's needs.

If the plan goes ahead in its current format, places left in the LCC care homes which do not close will be used mainly for people with dementia, who require a higher level of care.

Places will also be available for respite care and rehabilitation. It is hoped that people who might have gone straight into a home in the past after being in hospital will be rehabilitated to live at home with support from outside carers.

Where there is no choice but to provide residential home care, the county council will continue to pay for private homes to take their clients.

However, the authority is expected by government to reduce the number of people it puts into residential care significantly every year.

The private sector fear this will drive them out of business.

They have yet to find out whether a "preferred provider" list of private homes to be used by the county council will only include homes which have met the new standards. Sixteen of the homes set to close could be handed over to other organisations for things like sheltered housing or respite care which would then be used by the county council.

No-one already in a county home will be forced out. Coun Cheetham has pledged to keep existing residents in the same district, although that may involve moving them from home to home as places become available and homes are sold off.

Speaking about the plans earlier this year, council leader Hazel Harding, said: "There are people in our homes who simply shouldn't be there.

"With the right support they could have gone on living at home, surrounded by everything they know and love.

"I wouldn't just want to placed in a home when I could stay behind my own door, surrounded by my things, for longer."

She added: "At the same time, we want to improve the residential care we do provide. The days of sharing bathrooms should be long gone. Under these plans, the homes will be much nicer."

Among the homes being reprieved for four years is Cravenside in Pendle. It will only cost £3,000 to repair.

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