Brent Council have refused to give a 100-year-old Second World War veteran a place in a care home on the basis that he does not fit the criteria, despite him being virtually housebound.

Fred Hodge currently lives independently in a third floor flat in Kenton that has no lift and six flights of stairs, that has caused Mr Hodge to become housebound.

He has a life threatening medical condition, a bleed into the aorta, which is inoperable due to his age and state of health, and has been in hospital approximately six times since December 2015.

He is also diabetic, has a lung condition called COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) which gives him serious breathing problems, is extremely deaf and on various medication.

Mr Hodge, who fought in the Second World War and was a Japanese prison of war for three and a half years, was told in a recent meeting with a social worker from Brent Council that he didn't qualify for a place in a care home because he doesn’t have dementia, is not incontinent and can still manage to walk around.

He was told that the council would look into his having either a ground floor flat or sheltered accommodation.

'Residential care could restrict his independence even more'

However, Mr Hodge's son, who is also called Fred, and his family feel that one house move at this stage in his life would be enough and that with Mr Hodge's deteriorating health, he will eventually require another move.

In a letter, they said: "His health isn’t going to improve and there will come a time – and bearing in mind he is already in his 101st year, it will be sooner rather than later, he will certainly need another move where he can receive more care."

A Brent Council spokesperson said: "We are absolutely committed in supporting Brent’s elderly to get the care that they need and we have recently increased Mr Hodge’s care, following an assessment.

"Where possible, we do what we can to support our elderly residents to remain independent at home for as long as possible, as evidence shows us that those who do, live longer, happier and healthier lives.

"While we have found that Mr Hodge does not currently require a place in a care home, we are clear that his current accommodation is not suitable for his needs.

"Therefore we are working with Mr Hodge and his family to identify suitable alternatives that are less restrictive to his independence than residential care might be, although no option has been ruled out at the moment.

"We know that his family want one for him, so we are continuing to speak with them and are keeping Mr Hodge’s situation under close review and will not hesitate to take any further necessary action which best meets his care needs.”