Tweet
......putting elderly at risk
Thousands of elderly residents could be at risk if the planned sale of 150 Bupa care homes goes through, it is feared. Private equity backed HC-One – which is run by controversial Labour donor Dr Chai Patel – is looking to buy the sites from the healthcare group to make it the country’s largest care home operator. But the deal looks set to leave the company saddled with £600m of debt – sparking fears for the future of its elderly residents.
Former pensions minister Baroness Ros Altmann warned that the entire care home sector is ‘riddled with debt’. She urged the authorities to get a stronger grip on care home owners’ finances and debt levels to avoid a repeat of the Southern Cross disaster which left thousands at risk when the firm collapsed. ‘If a care home goes out of business you are talking about people’s lives being put at risk,’ said Altmann, a campaigner for the elderly and pensions minister between 2015 and 2016. ‘This is not widgets on a shelf – these are frail, elderly people and if they are suddenly uprooted from their surroundings it can be life threatening.
Source:
- Hi & Welcome to the AAD Consumer Forum
We're a FREE consumer debt and legal forum offering help, support and debate in many areas of day-to-day life. You will need to Register a Free Account before you can join in with the discussion and contribute with your own posts. Remember to also check out the FAQ's so you can get to grips with how the forum works ready to start posting your new topics. Read about the new GDPR 2018 Rules and how it affects you as a member of AAD.