ANOTHER nursing home has warned it could be forced to close down if expensive new Government care standards are enforced.

The proprietors of St Olave's Nursing Home in York are seeking planning permission to demolish the 24-bed home and build flats.

Sue and Ian Barnard say they want to give themselves a fall-back position if changes are enforced which would leave them with an unacceptable financial burden.

Mrs Barnard claimed the new rules - which include conversion of many double rooms to single - were being imposed without taking account of the quality of care being provided by homes. She said the authorities were not providing the extra funding needed to help meet the costs.

Mr Barnard said 50,000 nursing home beds had disappeared in five years, causing distress to the elderly, partly because fees had risen by less than half the rate of inflation for six years, while costs had risen faster than inflation.

Another factor was that registered care home owners could be dragged before the criminal courts and branded as criminals for infringements of the new care standards.

He said the way forward would be the provision of adequate long-term ring-fenced funding, with the authorities working in partnership with the private sector rather than starving it of funds.

The Barnards have applied to City of York Council for permission to demolish the building in St Olave's Road, which is in a conservation area.

They are also seeking consent to build a three and four-storey pitched roof block of 17 flats in its place.

This is just the latest in a series of blows to nursing homes in the region, with several closing or set to shut down.

The Evening Press reported last night how a couple were having to leave a nursing home at Escrick today because it is closing down.

Recent home closures in the area have sparked fears that "bed-blocking" in NHS hospitals will increase, because there is nowhere for elderly hospital patients to go for nursing home care.

Mrs Barnard said her family had had personal experience recently of the impact caused by bed-blocking when a relative had had to wait nine hours in casualty until a bed became available, and had then left hospital early so his bed could be used by someone else.

Updated: 10:04 Friday, November 23, 2001