The number of people searching for a care home hit an all-time high in early spring as the UK emerged from the second wave of the pandemic, according to review website carehome.co.uk.
The site saw its highest ever levels of traffic in March, with 1,613,251 people visiting its site, a 33 per cent rise on December and 17 per cent increase on March 2020.
“Care homes have been on the frontline during the pandemic and their staff went through a terrifying ordeal doing their best to protect their residents and keep them safe,” said carehome.co.uk editor Sue Learner.
“We are delighted to see this rise in traffic to carehome.co.uk as it shows trust has returned and people are once again seeing residential care as the right place for their loved ones, where they will receive care that is tailored to their needs and take part in stimulating activities in a compassionate environment,” she added.
Oakland Care, a luxury care home provider with six sites in southern England, said it is also seeing greater interest by prospective residents and their families.
“As a care provider, we have seen enquiry levels increase significantly with a record month in March 2021,” said chief executive Joanne Balmer.
“Confidence to move loved ones into residential care has been restored as the vaccination programme accelerated and visiting restrictions began to ease. We have seen this increased interest throughout March and April and are looking forward to welcoming more residents and families into our homes,” she added.
Rapport Housing & Care, which has five care homes in Kent, said it has received a significant surge in the traffic to its website since the first easing of restrictions in March, with enquiries and admissions also increasing.
“With further easing, we expect and hope this will continue, as the care sector has struggled significantly over the past 15 months, often being perceived as unsafe places to be, despite many care homes managing well,” said marketing and communications manager Nicole Cook.
