BRITISH ASIANS in England and Wales are least likely to be living in care homes, according to an analysis of Census 2021 data.
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Monday (9) showed that less than one per cent (0.95 per cent) of the care home population aged 65 years or more were British Asians, while the white ethnic group accounted for 97.5 per cent.
This compares with British Asians’ share of 9.3 per cent in the total population of 59.6 million in England and Wales in 2021 and 81.7 per cent for white people.
However, there was a rise in the proportion of British Asians living in care homes in 2021 compared to 2011 – the year of the previous census – when they accounted for just 0.62 per cent. The increase in the share was the largest for the ethnic group during the period.
In contrast, the proportion decreased for white people from 98.3 per cent in 2011 to 97.5 per cent in 2021.
The overall proportion of usual residents aged 65 years or more living in care homes decreased from 3.2% in 2011 to 2.5 per cent in 2021.
There were 278,946 people aged 65 years or more living in care homes in England and Wales in March 2021, accounting for 82.1 per cent of all care home residents, the ONS data showed. Those who identified themselves as belonging to a black ethnic group made up 0.96 per cent of the care home population in 2021.
There were regional variations. In 2021, London had the lowest proportion (1.9 per cent) of usual residents aged 65 years or more living in care homes, compared to the highest (2.9 per cent) in North East.
Female care home residents in the 65+ group continued to outnumber men, with 23 female residents for every 10 male residents. This compared with 28 female residents to every 10 male residents in 2021.
Similar proportions of care home residents aged 65+ lived in homes with nursing (49.4 per cent) as in homes without nursing (50.6 per cent).
In 2021, 68.2 per cent of care home residents in the age group reported they were in “very good, good, or fair” health, compared to 63.2 per cent 10 years earlier. The proportion reporting being in “bad or very bad” health dropped to 31.8 per cent in 2021 from 36.8 per cent in 2011.
