Care homes survival, Lockdown drinking, DIY stores

Available for over a year

We report on why thousands of care homes are at risk of closing because of increased costs during the coronavirus pandemic. Analysis of the UK's 7,000 care home operators suggests the debt has reached £6.4 billion and nearly a third of companies are in danger of going out of business in the next three years. The Government have given an additional £3.2bn to councils to help meet some of the additional costs but care home providers don't think that's enough. We speak to Pete Calveley, Chairman of Barchester, one of the UK's largest care home operators in the UK. We also hear from Nick Hood, an expert in social care funding. Since the lockdown, sales of alcohol have surged, outstripping the rise in the sales of groceries, according to the retail analysts Kantar. We've already heard on this programme that some people are worried about getting the Friday feeling too often and drinking too much on other days of the week. We speak to Laura Willoughby from Club Soda, the Mindful Drinking Movement, about the best strategies for cutting back and, how planning some alcohol free days might help with managing consumption. As some of the big DIY chains re-open, we report on concerns that a trip to pick up supplies might not really be essential. We speak to Steve Collinge from Insight DIY, an industry news website, about the dilemmas some people are facing and just how busy these stores might be over the weekend. Presenter: Samantha Fenwick Producer: Tara Holmes