THE average life expectancy in England has risen to its highest ever level, according to Public Health England (PHE), and many families throughout the country face the difficult issue of how to provide care for elderly relatives.

There are a range of options available from care at home to nursing home care but the quality and cost of that care can vary considerably depending on the location.

Services in Worcestershire and Herefordshire have improved and are leading the way, according to a new English county league table compiled by TrustedCare.co.uk using current data from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which registers and inspects care services.

In fact an overall picture taking into account care homes, nursing home and care at home puts Herefordshire at the top of 47 counties with 92.1 per cent of the 114 services inspected receiving a “good” rating. Just 7.9 per cent of the services needed improvement.

Worcestershire came second in the same table with 89.3 per cent of its 261 services inspected receiving the “good” standard while 10.7 per cent required improvement.

In the league for residential care homes only, Worcestershire came fourth out of the 47 councils – 88.3 per cent of the 128 care homes inspected by the CQC were judged “good” and 11.7 per cent needed improvement.

Herefordshire came fifth in this table with 87.9 per cent of the 58 homes inspected rated “good” and 12.1 per cent requiring improvement. The county came second in the nursing home league table with 91.7 per cent of its 24 homes inspected rated as “good” and 8.3 per cent needing improvement.

Worcestershire was ninth out of the 47 counties with 78.7 per cent of its 61 nursing homes inspected coming out with a “good” standard, while 21.3 per cent needed improvement.

According to the TrustedCare.co.uk, the average cost per week of a care home in Worcestershire has risen by 40.7 per cent from £516.75 to £727 a week. This has moved the county up from 26th in the league table last year to 16th for the most expensive charges.

Herefordshire however is even more expensive with weekly costs shooting up by 34.6 per cent on last year putting the county sixth in the league of most expensive in the country. Average weekly charges are £848 compared with £632.30 last year. The most expensive is Buckinghamshire at £907.33.

Nursing home care costs in the two counties has also risen, although not as sharply. Herefordshire homes are charging an average of £931 per week – a rise of 11.9 per cent on last year putting the county 22nd in the most expensive table.

The average weekly cost in a Worcestershire nursing home is now £923 – a rise of 20.4 per cent over last year. The most expensive county is Rutland at £1,200.

Debbie Le Quesne, chief executive of the West Midlands Care Association representing care providers in the region, congratulated the care services in Worcestershire and Herefordshire for scoring so highly in the latest league tables.

She said: “This has been achieved against overwhelming odds – the living wage increases, financial battles to hold on to capable management staff and the unenviable task of educating residents’ families that they too have a part to play in helping to deliver care quality.

“Additional challenges have emerged from a dearth of trained nurses, driving up clinician overheads and forcing many care providers to use expensive agency cover.

“Sadly, the NHS is still failing to attract nursing students in enough numbers and graduates willing to find a career path in social care are like gold dust. Homes have spent more on staff training, additional staff, activities and the buildings.”

She added that care services were now expected to provide support to people with rising levels of dependency and complex care plans and this has meant families and residents have been forced to pay extra to cover the costs.

“In analysing this success story, we cannot sell short the stoic determination of our members who have selflessly devoted themselves to survival and success.

“Both local authorities (Worcestershire and Herefordshire) serving the region have been as financially generous as possible while the University of Worcester has played an invaluable role in dementia care training.

“Residents and their families have acknowledged that spiralling costs in maintaining care quality have meant increased costs being levied and home managers have taken on increased responsibilities. We are delighted care quality is recognised and has improved.”

She pointed out that the CQC has a mammoth task to undertake its inspections and make sure standards are maintained and improved. Some of the inspections may have taken place months and even years ago and she stresses that families looking for care and nursing homes should be prepared to make their own judgements and ask questions about improvements based on what their elderly family members want and would find right.

• According to PHE, men who reach the age of 65 can expect to live for another 19 years; if they reach 75 they can expect to live another 12 years; if they reach 85 they can expect to live another six years and if the get to 95 they can expect to live another three years. Women who live to 65 can expect to go on another 21 years; if they reach 75 they can expect to go on for another 13 years; if they live to 85 they can expect another seven years and if they reach 95 they can expect to live another three years.

• TrustedCare.co.uk is a unique care services directory and review website giving a range of information on local care providers to help them make an informed choice regarding the care of themselves or a loved one. Its aim is to create the most comprehensive source of care service information in the UK to help care users, care providers and the Government alike.

• The CQC monitors, inspects and regulates services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and it publishes what it finds, including performance ratings, to help people choose care. It sets out what good and outstanding care looks like and makes sure services meet fundamental standards, below which care must never fall. It has powers from issuing simple cautions to prosecuting establishments where people are harmed or placed in danger of harm.