Council chiefs have called for more resources to recruit care home staff after research shows four in 10 hospital admissions from care homes could be avoided.
NHS figures show that 41% of emergency admissions were for potentially avoidable conditions such as chest infections, pressure sores and urinary tract infections that could be treated in the community, or were a result of poor care or neglect.
Cllr Ian Hudspeth, chairman of the Local Government Association’s community wellbeing board, said: 'It is vitally important that care home staff continue to be trained and supported to make the right decisions for their residents.
'Councils are working with local care homes providers and the NHS to ensure that this remains the case.
'However, care staff recruitment, retainment and training requires essential resources and investment, which is further hampered by high turnover and low wages in the social care market.
'This needs to be addressed as part of the much-delayed social care green paper, which we are calling on Government to publish by the time the party conferences start.'
