ELDERLY people could be priced out of their homes after eight Newport care homes increased their fees by up to £250 a month, according to the daughter of a resident effected.

Newport Council is increasing the fees at eight homes it uses in a move to bring the fees in line with the cost of the services provided.

Those residents with assets and income totalling £22,000 or more received a letter last month informing them of the increases.

The homes affected are 41-bed Pentwyn House, 21-bed Mayfield, 34-bed The Fields, 27-bed The Oaks, 20-bed Willow House, 30-bed St Catherine’s, 16-bed Emmaus and 68-bed Capel Grange, and around 232 of the 257 beds are thought to be occupied.

At these homes, the weekly rate for elderly residents rose by £50 from £400 to £450, the nursing rate rose by £63 from £400 to £463 and the residential rate for patients needing specialist dementia care rose by £61 from £455 to £516.

Jennifer McLaren says she does not know how her mother, Phyllis Jeffries, 88, will afford to continue living at Mayfield Residential Home after her fees rose by £50 to £450 a week.

Mrs McLaren, 60, from St Julian’s, said she cannot see how the increase is justified, because although the standard of care the home provides is excellent, it has not changed since her mother moved in three years ago.

Mrs Jeffries is one of the seven people who will be effected by the rise and has suffered from vascular dementia for eight years and was cared for by her late-husband, George, until he died from cancer, aged 84, three years ago and she moved into Mayfield.

The cost of her care is currently covered by her private pension and rent from her house in Malpas, which she may now be forced to sell.

Mrs McLaren is angry the letter she received on October 23 said fees had increased from October 1, leaving her already in arrears, and says more warning should have been given.

Fees did not meet costs - council

A Newport Council spokeswoman said under Assembly-guidelines local authorities have to take into account the costs of providing social care services when setting fees and until recently the fee levels did not meet the costs.

She said the council agreed to increase fees to nursing and residential care home owners over a three year period, but delayed the implementation of the increase from July until October.

She said: “This only affects those people whose income and capital means that they have to pay the full costs of their care. It is unfortunate that people have only recently been advised of these increases and we will do what we can to ease the financial burden on individuals."

EDITORIAL COMMENT: Care costs unfair

WE can understand the concerns of those who have learnt that the fees in eight Newport care homes are to rise by a minimum of £200 a month.

Those with assets and income totalling £22,000 or more received a letter informing them that they will need to pay extra - those receiving specialist care can expect to pay even more.

If ever there was a case for looking at why the care system needs shaking up then this is it.

Elderly people or their relatives are already paying £400 a week for care.

Adding another £50 to that per week will see a lot of people struggle.

As the daughter of one care home resident points out, while the standard of care is excellent it has not changed, so it is hard to see how an increase can be justified.

People who save up all their lives and sell their homes see their money simply dwindle, while those who have not had money get their care for free.

Tell us how that is fair?