Nord and Pas-de-Calais: UFC-Que Choisir deplores poor access to nursing homes
UFC-Que-Choisir published a study this Friday concerning the different practices of nursing homes.
For several months, the practices of the EHPAD (Accommodation establishment for dependent elderly people) have been regularly singled out since the scandal of the Orpéa retirement homes which shocked public opinion. The UCF-Que-Choisir Nord – Pas-de-Calais makes public this Friday the situation on access to nursing homes in these two departments. The consumer defense association is sounding the alarm and deplores the organization of access in these establishments.
The distribution of places in nursing homes is very heterogeneous in France
On average, there is an offer of 102 places in nursing homes for 1,000 people aged over 75. The situation is the least favorable in Pas-de-Calais with 89 places per 1,000 people aged over 75. ” Overall, EHPAD places in the department are only able to meet 27% of the potential demand of all dependent people », Worries the association. These establishments are not intended to accommodate all dependent people in the department, but the study carried out by UFC-Que-Choisir underlines that, in Pas-de-Calais, “ 50% of very dependent people currently benefit from a place in this establishment, a figure to be compared with a national average of 68% »
The question of tariffs
The average cost of a place in an EHPAD is 2,241 euros per month on average is 2,084 euros in Pas-de-Calais, 2,169 euros per month in the North and 2,214 euros per month. It is a question of comparing this price with the standard of living of its inhabitants. On this aspect, we can estimate that residents must draw €509 per month for the North and €488 for Pas-de-Calais (compared to €416 nationwide) in their savings “, specifies the UFC-Que-Choisir. In detail, there is a major difference. Departmental public nursing homes have an average price of €1,926 for Pas-de-Calais. This price is soaring for private EHPADs since it stands at 2,445 euros for Pas-de-Calais. Private EHPADs pull the average price upwards, given that they have 17% in the Pas-de-Calais of the total number of places, a percentage lower than the national average (23%).
The proposals of UFC-Que-Choisir
After the report, the UFC-Que-Choisir asks for the creation of new places in EHPAD. The association demands that private EHPADs all have the obligation to offer a sufficient number of places eligible for social assistance for accommodation; a cap on price changes for private EHPADs and the establishment of a mandatory minimum supervision rate for all establishments.