Geographical and temporal variations in the provision of registered older people long-term care home places in Wales

Deep-seated problems facing the residential and nursing care home sector have been compounded by the impacts of the pandemic, underfunding and the cost-of-living crisis. This study aims to investigate how patterns of access to registered residential and nursing care places changed in the period spanning lockdowns and demonstrate how spatial analytical techniques can be used to examine the potential impacts of ongoing pressures on geographical patterns of access. Findings identify variations in access to provision hidden within aggregate figures that can help stakeholders monitor the current and projected availability of places as part of an overall package of care provision.