Government and councils give care of older people a "relatively low priority", the Registered Nursing Home Association (RNHA) said today.
A spokesman for the group said that the authorities need to "do more" to give "dignity and respect" to vulnerable people.
The comments follow the release of a report from the Care Quality Commission, highlighting adequate or unsatisfactory conditions in a minority of nursing homes.
According to the study, 77 per cent of care homes, home care agencies, nursing agencies and shared lives schemes are rated excellent or good.
This figure stood at 69 per cent in 2008.
The RNHA spokesman said: "In practical terms, it means that nursing homes are constantly striving to meet national care standards within an increasingly tight financial straitjacket imposed on them by social services departments and NHS primary care trusts.
"What is desperately needed at government level is a willingness to empower older people to choose the type of care that best meets their needs, plus a willingness to provide the necessary resources to enable this to happen. Sadly, there is no sign of a commitment to either."
One way of meeting private care costs is through a lifetime mortgage, which is generated by unlocking value held in the elderly person’s home.
Posted by Tom Papworth
