Evictions From Care Homes.

[Anna B]

In the news at the moment, the problems with very needy people being evicted from their care homes, with little warning and even less reason. 

 

Apparently, in spite of care home fees reaching over £1,000 a week, the residents have virtually no rights and can be evicted at will. In fact for some of the most needy it's almost impossible to find them a place that will take them. Dementia for instance can present with all sorts of problems and be very difficult to find them a place. This is what happens when care homes are run only for profit. Difficult patients require more supervision, therefore more staff are needed to care for them, which the homes refuse to fund. Families are left with no help.

 

We need more state provision to take the stranglehold care homes have on the market. Are day centres still available? 

[cressida]

That's disgraceful,  pensioners should form their own party to get the influence to change this.

[despritdan]

12 minutes ago, Anna B said:

In the news at the moment, the problems with very needy people being evicted from their care homes, with little warning and even less reason. 

 

Apparently, in spite of care home fees reaching over £1,000 a week, the residents have virtually no rights and can be evicted at will. In fact for some of the most needy it's almost impossible to find them a place that will take them. Dementia for instance can present with all sorts of problems and be very difficult to find them a place. This is what happens when care homes are run only for profit. Difficult patients require more supervision, therefore more staff are needed to care for them, which the homes refuse to fund. Families are left with no help.

 

We need more state provision to take the stranglehold care homes have on the market. Are day centres still available? 

There seem to be more and more stories around at the moment concerning the impact of handing everything over to the private sector. Soaring energy bills, water companies with huge debts due to massive salaries and payouts to shareholders, private companies charging the public sector extortionate amounts for goods and services, people having to pay extortionate rents to private landlords because of the shortage of council houses and now this. It all started with Thatcher, the worst Prime Minister this country ever had and she has a lot to answer for.

[Annie Bynnol]

   It is the funding and the range of provision that is the problem not who provides it.

   Most care homes will not accept a resident until a funding package is in place which is often a long and complex process eg a dementia sufferer will not meet the criteria for full/top up funding as by itself a dementia diagnosis is not sufficient and other criteria must be met to qualify. State and work pensions will rarely be sufficient to pay the £1000+ pw bill and so savings and property and other assets are considered.

   One area where the private sector are unable to meet demand is temporary and respite support as beds need to be occupied 24/7/365.

Edited June 29, 2023 by Annie Bynnol

[Guest]

43 minutes ago, despritdan said:

There seem to be more and more stories around at the moment concerning the impact of handing everything over to the private sector. Soaring energy bills, water companies with huge debts due to massive salaries and payouts to shareholders, private companies charging the public sector extortionate amounts for goods and services, people having to pay extortionate rents to private landlords because of the shortage of council houses and now this. It all started with Thatcher, the worst Prime Minister this country ever had and she has a lot to answer for.

Yes, very true,  but it seems many of the most recent Prime Ministers,  are making a serious bid to take that title from her,

as the Tory  party,  becomes more and more right wing,  and more and more openly,  unashamed  government for the rich.

Despite that, Starmer is making no real promises to those at the bottom,  so who speaks for them,  and where is the choice when we go to the ballot box?

 

[Mister M]

I was aware of this because I work in the social care sector, and it's becoming increasingly common.

ITV did a special report on it about a week ago:

https://www.itv.com/news/2023-06-22/the-revenge-evictions-leaving-care-home-residents-homeless

 

[Delbow]

1 hour ago, Annie Bynnol said:

   It is the funding and the range of provision that is the problem not who provides it.

   Most care homes will not accept a resident until a funding package is in place which is often a long and complex process eg a dementia sufferer will not meet the criteria for full/top up funding as by itself a dementia diagnosis is not sufficient and other criteria must be met to qualify. State and work pensions will rarely be sufficient to pay the £1000+ pw bill and so savings and property and other assets are considered.

   One area where the private sector are unable to meet demand is temporary and respite support as beds need to be occupied 24/7/365.

I think it's probably a bit of both Annie. The problem with privatising everything is that there is no statutory duty on the provider to accept the person. There is a statutory duty on the local authority to provide the care (Care Act, 2015) but they've been robbed of the means to discharge that duty in some cases. And often, when a private provider is willing to take that person, the cost of the package is way, way over the value of the care that is provided. But the private equity firms get their money and that, it seems, is all that matters.

[lobster]

It is not all about the needy . It is also about the easy option for the care home . I know of 2 care home residents who were asked to leave because they were too disruptive  ( both were fee paying )

[Anna B]

9 hours ago, despritdan said:

There seem to be more and more stories around at the moment concerning the impact of handing everything over to the private sector. Soaring energy bills, water companies with huge debts due to massive salaries and payouts to shareholders, private companies charging the public sector extortionate amounts for goods and services, people having to pay extortionate rents to private landlords because of the shortage of council houses and now this. It all started with Thatcher, the worst Prime Minister this country ever had and she has a lot to answer for.

Indeed. Caused by 40 years of Free Market Economics as put in place by Thatcher and Regan, with no checks and balances.  Now the pigeons are finally coming home to roost, as I have been saying for years - Winner takes all, - and it's not us... 

 

To be fair, I don't think Thatcher actually ever envisioned this outcome, it was too far down the line even for her. Britain at the time was riding the crest of the wave, still a power to be reckoned with, and looked like a winner. But it's inevitable. Times have changed and we are no longer top dog, but it's not another country  that's beaten us, or the Communists, but the Corporate world which spans entire countries, if not the world, and has the economic power to blow several countries out of the water.

 

This is Neoliberalism writ large; rampant capitalism on steroids, that knows the price of everything but the value of nothing. Profit is all. Greed is good.  There's no place  for losers etc....

And so it will continue, like a runaway train that can't be stopped.

We'd better just get used to slipping further and further down the inevitable food chain... 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Anna B

[Tipstaff]

It is a complete disgrace how our elderly vulnerable relatives are treated.   This great country of ours could take a lesson or two from the south eastern Asian population who respect and look after their elderly!  Our country is obsessed with 'profits' and has put this before people for many years.  We need to get back to the basic humanitarian needs of the elderly, sick and vulnerable and stop prioritising the balance sheet!