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Post by northwestman on Mar 23, 2023 21:02:49 GMT 1
www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/23/english-councils-spent-480m-on-inadequate-care-homes-in-four-yearsTaxpayers have spent close to half a billion pounds buying beds in the worst care homes in England in the last four years, driving profits for private investors while residents suffer unsafe treatment, a Guardian investigation has revealed. In what one affected family branded “a robbery of taxpayers’ money” and Labour said was “scandalous”, about £480m is estimated to have been spent on “inadequate” care homes – many rated unsafe and in special measures, meaning they are threatened with closure. They are often staffed by untrained agency workers, ignore residents’ needs and fail to provide proper nutrition and medicines in dirty and dangerous properties. Billions more in public cash has been spent on homes rated “requires improvement”, many operated by chains providing large returns for overseas shareholders and creditors.
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Post by northwestman on Mar 25, 2023 10:17:31 GMT 1
www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/25/five-care-chains-thought-to-make-150m-a-year-for-low-rated-homes-in-englandFive of the largest private care chains are taking £150m a year in taxpayers’ money for places in English elderly care homes rated inadequate or requiring improvement, including some that are “not safe”, the Guardian has estimated. The leading earner from public funds is HC-One, a chain of 285 care homes majority-owned by a US private equity company, according to analysis of council spending records. It was paid an estimated £50m in 2022 by town halls to look after people in homes rated in the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) worst two categories, according to estimates from public spending records. Leandra Ashton, co-founder of the charity People’s Care Watchdog, said: “In Britain in the 21st century how can we say it is OK for there to be inadequate care homes and for people to make profit from that at the expense of taxpayers? “The system is never going to work as long as we allow private equity firms to run care homes.”
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