The health secretary yesterday abandoned plans to force care homes to improve conditions for residents.

In an attempt to halt the closure of care homes, the higher environmental standards will now only apply to new homes.

Sheila Scott of the National Care Homes Association said that the retreat "makes me wonder why we had to go through the agony of the last three years when homes were forced to close because of the proposed standards".

Help the Aged said that "residents should have the right to enough space to live their lives as independently as possible".