Table 5.

Elderly people in residential care in Great Britain, 1986 and 1996

Type of accommodation	1986: No of permanent residents		1996			Estimated change 1986-96 in No of permanent residents
			Projected No of permanent residents*	Actual No of all residents	Adjusted to permanent residents
NHS	72 662		89 606	29 350	29 350	−60 256
Local authority	121 408		149 719	65 094	61 579	−88 140
Voluntary residential homes	19 458		23 995	41 389	37 747	13 752
Private residential homes	42 868		52 864	157 368	134 707	81 843
Voluntary nursing homes	18 444		18 444	—	—	—
Private nursing homes	45 503		56 114	179 252†	173 173	98 615
Total (95% CI)	320 343 (277 787 to 363 265; −13.3% to 13.4%)		390 742 (338 773 to 443 101)	472 453†	438 691	45 814

^*In 1986 there were 8 495 000 people aged 65 or over; in 1996 there were 9 032 000, an estimated increase in the decade of 537 000. In 1986 there were 3 719 474 disabled people aged 65 or over; in 1996 there were 4 130 201, an increase in the decade of 410 727.The figures in this column are estimates of the numbers of people in each category of home, had they taken the same proportion of the disabled elderly population as in 1986.  

^†Official statistics do not distinguish between private and voluntary nursing homes.