FLOORCOVERINGS IN THE CARE
HOME SECTOR The healthcare market is a significant sector for floorcoverings, and there are a number of specialised products on the market, including products that incorporate surface coating treatments for vinyl, anti-bacterial grouts for ceramic tiles and carpets with impervious backings and carpets that can trap allergens in the fibres until cleaning can take place.
Another key issue in this market is the impact of legislation on design, such as the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), which includes the requirement for a visible boundary between floors, walls and staircases. Design and aesthetics are becoming increasingly important in some applications, such as reception and corridor areas and dementia wards.
Carpets are used extensively in retirement homes, due to their cushioning properties, which reduce injuries due to falls, with fibrebonded carpeting being generally popular, because of the relatively low cost. However, this floorcovering is not suited to all applications and can be more difficult to clean and maintain than other coverings, and carpets are most often used in locations such as entrances, reception areas or corridors.
desirable areas. As a result, new care home development is forecast to remain relatively static in the short-term, despite an upturn in planning applications and increasing availability of funding.
Major reforms to the way social care is funded are expected to come into operation in April 2020, which could have a positive impact on the market.
As shown in the chart below, which illustrates planning activity in the care home sector over the past 10 years, the number of planning applications for care home developments has remained fairly consistent in the last eight years.
Linoleum continues to have a strong presence in the healthcare sector, due to its durability, bactericidal properties and longevity, and vinyl also offers anti-static and slip- resistant properties, while seamless welding techniques also make the product more suitable, as it reduces the chance of bacteria build up, and is relatively easy to clean.
FUTURE PROSPECTS Despite the challenges currently facing the sector, the private care home market continues to attract new investment. In the longer term, the care homes sector is expected to outperform the wider healthcare market due to an acute undersupply of appropriate accommodation together with increasing demand from an ageing population, with the number of people aged over 65 in the UK forecast to be 50% higher in 2035 than it was in 2010.
Over the next five years, demand for care home places is expected to far exceed the number of bed spaces available. In the short-term, it is expected that the rate of care home development will remain static at 5000-6000 new beds per year, while demand is forecast to increase by around 9,000 bed spaces each year, leading to a substantial shortfall. Unless output substantially increases, the discrepancy between current annual rates of additional bed spaces and future annual demand is expected to widen significantly, with an estimated shortfall of 28,000 bed-spaces by 2025.
Source: Barbour-ABI/AMA Research Ltd
The value of schemes submitted for planning continues to rise as the availability of land for new care home developments becomes increasingly constrained. Competition from residential developers, which typically pay more per acre, is particularly strong.
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Despite considerable investment in new and refurbished capacity within the independent sector during the last 20 years, there is a considerable amount of existing care home stock classed as sub-standard. Further substantial investment in capacity will be required going forward as demand for care homes continues to rise in line with estimated rises in the elderly population and those with conditions requiring specialist care such as dementia.
www.amaresearch.co.uk CARE FACILITIES | 25
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