Elderly face being made homeless

[TinaT]

On a serious note has anyone read this:



These 750 UK Care homes are not factories that are failing from lack of demand but are an essential part of every community which now face ruin due to the combination of privatisation and private equity



http://www.gmb.org.uk/newsroom/latest_news/31000_elderly_homeless.aspx


Having had a year or more of worry and stress that Ken's care home might close, this ha**** hard for me! My stomach turns at the thought of the upset and heartbreak for both residents and relatives.

We had the bank bail out???????? What about the people bail out???????????/

Many thanks JPG for alerting me to this!!

xxTinaT

 

[jimbo 111]

Iwas fortunate that my wife was never in a care home
But reading this post ( and it is worthwhile reading the full article)my blood would be boiling at the thought of my wifes welfare being at the mercy of these 'bloodsuckers'
Many local authourity homes are being closed because of shortages ,but they are not closing because of the greed of
privatisation
I have the deepest sympathy for those people who face an uncertain future , carers and patients
jimbo 111

 

[sleepless]

This is very disturbing indeed.
So often now we hear of the fate of British people, their jobs, pensions, etc. being in the hands of people overseas. I find this worrying.

 

[JPG1]

We had the bank bail out???????? What about the people bail out???????????/

Strange you should say that, Tina.

http://www.communitycare.co.uk/blog...t-it-must-accept-public-responsibilities.html

"If [healthcare company concerned] gets a public bail out it must accept public responsibilities"

Sounds good to me.

It is being discussed in the House of Commons - see John Spellar MP in the following link, just above Column 490, then below 490 too. Also read the story of 77-year old Mr Muir in Scotland!

http://www.publications.parliament....110317/debtext/110317-0001.htm#11031765001129

 

[jimbo 111]

JPG1 Good article , TinaT good thread, but will there ever be a time when we win such cases
If private enterprise wants to go into the business of making a profit out of caring for the old and disabled there should be more stringent safeguards for residents
I have no objection to private care homes, many of them do a good job , but when it gets to the stage where our most vulnerable people are being sacrificed for greed , that is immoral, and no pretence of commercial enterprise should be tolerated by any moral government
jimbo 111

 

[TinaT]

Thank God for your comments Jimbo!! I was beginning to think I was one of the very few to be thinking the same. I've no objection to either private companies or local authority run care for my husband.

What I do want is the knowledge that government legislation compels ALL care homes/social care establishments, to comply with strict regulations on: training of carers, safeguarding of residents, nutrition, medication,meaningful activities for residents etc., etc., with YEARLY inspection and reporting done by a throrough and responsible body, the inspectors to be largely comprised of carers with paid staff to assist them!

Only then would I feel that my husband would be adequately safeguarded by the state in a privately owned, for profits, care home.

It's the same with all the areas of social care which the current government are dismantling and putting out to private contracting. No proper safeguards put into place to protect those vulnerable people who are at the 'cared for' end of the food chain!

xxTinaT

 

[dottyd]

i really hope what is happening with southern cross doesn't spread to my relative's care home.

I hope no one here is affected.

 

[Cate]

So sorry Tina

Tina I cannot begin to imagine the worry and stress this must be causing you. My mum lived in a SC NH, I consider myself very lucky to have found it. The staff that work there, many since the NH opened, were such wonderful people and not just to mum but to our whole family, I really do owe them a debt of gratitude. They treated mum as if she was their own.

I dont know what I would have done if mum had lived and we had to go through the threat of closure I would have been besides myself.

Just dont get me started on the funding side of things and the costs, mum was self funding, we never told her, we just told fibs, she would have been soooo upset about it, but for my own sanity I had to let that go and move on.

I have only been to see the staff a couple of times since mum died, the sight of them and I just crumble, so for their sakes I stay away. Please let me know if there is a campaign that needs support.

Best wishes
Cate

 

[Padraig]

Sale of care homes

From what I've learned Southern Cross sold it's 750 'Homes' to Blackstone a private equity US Co. for £162 million at the height of the property boom, who in turn leased them back to Southern Cross. The top chief executives shared a bonus of £35 million!

 

[chucky]

Hi. my dad is one of their care homes and it has to be one of the worst ive ever encountered!! I would be glad to see everyone at Southern Cross management/executives out on their ear. They dont give a fig about their service user as they describe our loved ones, only interested in money. The one my dads in even had the cheek to ask last year if any relatives would volunteer to cut the grass surrounding the building as they couldnt afford a gardener. At one point the grass must have been a foot tall. If anyone asks where my dad is and i tell them the usual reply is always can u not get him moved, thats how good their reputation is around here.

 

[sunny]

Privatisation in certain circumstances will not work - people are not commodities - but obviously in this situation that is precisely what they are being viewed as - profit/loss on the balance sheet. So the foreign spivs have made a "killing" and now the british taxpayer will probably have to step in big time - how has it been cheaper?