New figures released show that around 48,000 people living in residential homes this year, have been forced to sell their homes to pay for care. According to research released by the Liberal Democrats, around eight homes every day have been sold in order for people to afford care in residential homes.

Compared to last year, where figures showed that 45,000 people sold their homes to pay for care, and up by 23 per cent in 2005 where 39,000 were recorded as doing so.

All care home residents forced to sell their homes has risen since 2005, from around 11 per cent to 13 per cent in 2009. Also an estimated 41 per cent, or 155,000 in private and voluntary sector care homes, funded their own care.

Lib Dem health spokesman Norman Lamb said: "This Government's treatment of older people is its shameful legacy. Ministers have turned their backs on thousands of older people who are forced to sell their homes each year to pay for the costs of care. The recent Social Care Green Paper was the perfect opportunity to sort this problem out, but yet again Labour has kicked this issue into the long grass. We need a complete overhaul of the current unfair system so that people's homes are no longer considered fair game to cover care bills."

The new system will see more social care workers trained and offered jobs to care for those who need it, in their own homes.