Elderly moved from Darwen care home (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Of course, where we have a private company running the show, the needs of the resident come second to the profit margin.

Disgraceful way to treat the elderly.

woolywords wrote:
Of course, where we have a private company running the show, the needs of the resident come second to the profit margin.

Disgraceful way to treat the elderly.

Why have we allowed the care of the elderly in society to become a potential crock of gold for private investors. Why can the authorities not buy out such failing businesses and then use the young unemployed to learn and develop the skills they need, obviously mentored by experienced care staff. This will result in the money paid out going back into the community pot rather than into the pockets of private care home owners. Obviously if such places where run as not for profit social enterprises then all of the surplus, (after paying decent wages, providing accommodation with dignity for the elderly and funding real and nationally recognised qualifications for trainees), any surplus cash could be used build further schemes. These new schemes could then be built by young people who are mentored by skilled bricklayers, plumbers, electricians and other construction workers. Obviously, whilst undertaking such projects they would undertake real apprenticeships and once having fulfilled their period of indenture the young people would have skills that they could use throughout their working life and throughout the world. I know it seems pie in the sky, but if you want to see what the alternative is just turn on your TV and watch an episode of Jeremy Kyle.

You are obviously not aware that, once over, many of these self same homes were under the wing on the local authorities but due to a number of economic factors, the town hall bean counters decided it would be better - for the council balance sheet, that is - if the homes were sold off.

This where you step in and buy it.
Now when you pay for something you have a bit of an hole in the balance sheet of your own, so you employ your own bean counters to trim the costs down a little, even though you know that the council had already trimmed it down as near the bone as is possible. Your bean counters say that you don't need as many full-time staff as these are a cost in the payments for tax and national insurance, so you get rid of them, by asking them to sign a new contract for lower wages. You find cheaper suppliers for all your supplies, even if this means that there is a fall in quality standards. Instead of replacing the staff that leave, you contract an agency, who for a fee out of the workers wages, will provide your staff. You need have no concerns over them, they say, we will pre-screen them to ensure that you get what is required.
((Perfunctory screening is carried out by someone who has not a clue about the core principles or ethics of the business and is only interested in maintaining a bonus payment for themselves.) Instead of having qualified maintainance staff, the agency will provide an ad hoc person to do whatever is needed, at the appropriate time. None of them will be unionised, so you don't have anyone griping about the falling standards in either working conditions or care provided.)
You then assess your staff cover so that you reduce the hours worked all round. That is to say, a cleaner does the breakfasts instead of a cook. Cook comes in to do lunch and prepare both the evening meal and check stock is barely adequate for the following meal. Having stock ties up your cash and we can't have that, can we?

Are you catching on now?

The problem comes when your fixed costs begin to outpace your income. Where fuel costs begin to escalate beyond inflation, as gas and electric have. The solution to this is, to have your Doctor come in and reassess the needs of your residents, bumping up the fees for homing them but not doing anything to address those needs. They don't know that, all you are doing is, ensuring that your profit margins are being maintained above inflation plus, giving you an healthy balance sheet.
Due to the fact that you are doing all this from a remote office, you will require a rather nice luxury motor car, ostensibly for your travel needs, as you sell off the transport that the residents have, as they are too infirm to go out and you don't have the spare staff to assist them, anyway.
You then make application for them to be paid mobility allowance, in case they need to go anywhere. They don't go out, so you keep the allowances and try to get everyone to keep hospital visits to a minimum. Oh, and get everyone on to your Doctors lists and make him visit you rather than incurring travel costs.
Your manager only need work a 4 day week, with their assistant providing cover for the other days since they don't need to work when the manager does, do they?
Costs are still going up, so you talk about stricter portion control in the meals and ensure that only the basic dietary requirements are provided. None of this 3000 calories per day nonsense. They don't need all that, do they? How about not giving them a pudding with every meal, that should save a bob or two, won't it?
The problem now is, with the poor Summer that we had and you not getting the boiler and heating serviced... Then the weather turns colder sooner than you thought and when you try to fire up the heating, the boiler packs up entirely.
And now here you are, your poorly fed, shivering residents are mentioning to their offspring visitors, that they haven't had hot water for a while. They in turn complain to the management on behalf of the aged relative and are fobbed off with the trite platitude of, we apologise for any discomfort but that you have laid on extra heating in the residents lounge and have been assured by the workmen that as soon as the part arrives, heating will be restored. As you hastily wonder what the hell to do next.
Better tell the staff that some residents might need extra blankets and to turn the heater off as soon as everyone goes to bed, at 9pm, to a cold bedroom. You have to get everyone into bed by that time as your evening shift staff go home at 10pm.

All in all, this years profits are going to take a dip and the shareholders are going to be a bit miffed that profit shareout is a lot lower. Maybe it's time you moved to another arm of the business and let someone else take the flak for what is about to happen after the failings are published in the local paper, don't you think? Still, it was a nice little earner while it lasted.

Do you think the board would be interested in setting up a rehab centre for druggies, they're always good for relapsing or going back to prison. That has to be a money tree if ever there was one. What do you reckon?
Let me know, will you?

Highfield House was never owned by the Council. As far as i know no care homes in Blackburn or Darwen have ever been sold to the private sector. When the Council has closed its homes due to falling numbers they have been demolished or sold for other uses.

It has been the policy of successive governments for more than 20 years to force Councils out of running homes and to encourage them to contract with the private sector instead.

woolywords sounds as you have had some experience of care homes and how they work read your post with great intrest like your ideas for building and staffing with a growing ageing population some thinking out of the box like yours needs to be done .

Strange, different situation than the alleged residents spokewoman would have you believe the other day!

Getting old is becoming to be a worry!

The ‘old fork industry’ can only be described as a lottery. Your either lucky enough as to be able to find a good residence where you will be looked after or you’ll just have to put up with what’s available. In the past I’ve known of two homes for the elderly. One retirement home where the manageresses stole from the residents and the other where drug addicts were left to look after the residents during the night shifts. Both are still in business?

Not a lot to look forward to!