One in five people who suffer a spinal cord injury will be put in a elderly care home, regardless of their age, a charity has warned.

Spinal cord injury charity Aspire said that 20% of paralysed patients are discharged from hospital in to a care home because there is not housing in the community that meets their new needs.

The charity said that the care facilities are often unsuitable and can lead to patients suffering psychological damage.

Researchers at Loughborough University conducted extensive interviews with 20 spinal cord injured people who have lived, or are living, in care homes.

Patients reported poor quality of life and other physical injuries, including pressure sores, infections and broken bones.

They also reported a lack of independence, damage to relationships, isolation and boredom.

Dr Brett Smith, of Loughborough University, says 90 per cent of spinal injury victims who enter care homes end up with severe depression.

He said: "They enter a spiral of misery. The biggest issue for them is chronic depression."