BAD publicity surrounding care standards in private nursing homes has forced the industry’s regional body and North Yorkshire County Council to issue reassurances to the public.

In a joint statement, the York and North Yorkshire branch of the Independent Care Group (ICG), along with the adult and community services department at the council, said that care in the region was in “extremely safe hands.”

Mike Padgham, ICG chairman, said media stories were creating a misleading picture.

He said: “The majority of care is provided by the independent sector and they have an excellent record in providing high quality, innovative care that put the clients’ independence, dignity and quality of life at the very top of our priorities.

“We have an excellent relationship with North Yorkshire County Council and we work hard together to ensure that care is delivered to an extremely high standard.”

Derek Law, director of adult and community services at the county council, said: “People in North Yorkshire can have tremendous confidence that social care in this county is of a very good quality and is of a professional nature.

“We work very closely with the independent sector to maintain and improve standards, endeavour that is borne out by results when care provision is regularly inspected.

“For our own part we also have rigorous procedures in place to monitor the quality of that care.”

Mr Padgham warned, however, that more funding was needed across the private care industry to secure the future of care for the elderly in the future.

He said: “Everyone wants to see standards of care improve, but as a society we cannot expect that to happen if we put less and less funding into social care.

“Social care has never been properly funded, even in more prosperous times, and now that spending is being slashed the situation has reached breaking point.”