Cash-strapped Ceredigion County Council spent almost £200,000 a week on out-of-county care placements in the last financial year.

A total of 169 people were placed in out-of-county care homes in 2018/19 - a figure similar to previous years - with the total cost coming to just under £200,000 a week, although the council does recoup some of that money from other bodies, including the NHS and residents themselves.

That has sparked concern from campaigners who have said that more should be done to try and ensure that people requiring care placements can stay in Ceredigion and close to their families whenever possible.

A council spokesperson said that the authority does its best to ensure that people are not forced into placements outside of the county, but said that was sometimes the best option and did not always mean increased costs.

Figures for the 2018/19 financial year show that 135 people were in out-of-county adult residential care homes, with a further 34 people in nursing care homes - a total of 169.

That is compared to 271 people in either residential or nursing care placements in Ceredigion.

The overall weekly cost for adult residential care was almost £172,400 with a further £27,042 for nursing care places.

A council spokesperson said: “There are a number of reasons why placements occur outside of our county boundaries.

“They include personal choice, a lack of provision in county or specialist need.

“Giving a broad ‘out-of-county’ label can sometimes be misleading.

“In this case, a care home that is just a few miles over the border is considered in the same group as homes that are far further away."

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