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  Barry
  My wife is a Deputy Care Home Manager so I have some secondhand knowledge of the care system.
  
  Firstly most UK Care Homes are run by foreign nationals.Their main aim is to make a profit. A care home I know stopped taking 'council paid' residents as they could charge 'private fee paying residents' more money for identical services.Hence the less fortunate where left in hospitals taking up valuable bed space until they could be found accommodation or in some cases returned home to die with hardly any care at all.
  
  Another care home previously run as a charity and with an excellent reputation in cleanliness and care had to sell up and was purchased by overseas investors. The first thing that was implemented was a fresh contract for all staff resulting in a pay cut of nearly £150-200 pcm for qualified staff.They obviously had to resign,some with 15 years service or more at that care home, and find alternative employment.
  New young unqualified care assistants were employed saving the company thousands of pounds a year in salaries but the standard of professional care dropped dramatically.The shift patterns were also altered and lengthened and care staff were also required to undertake cleaning duties normally carried out by domestic staff.Hence domestic were laid off thus resulting in more savings. The food bill was slashed by £200 per week so the standard of meals served was also affected.
  
  Outings were cancelled and the caretaker with over 25 years dedicated service was put out to pasture.These savings and I use the term loosely were instigated in order to make the home more profitable but the standard of care dropped dramatically.
  
  So please don't tell me I know nothing about the care home system I live with it everyday by proxy through my wife.When was the last time you stepped into a care home at meal times or in the evenings or helped load the elderly onto minibuses for a trip to the theatre etc?.
  
  All the above changes were introduced to make a profit which is exactly what will happen under a Tory govt. but at the expense of the residents.
  
  Don't be so naive, of course they will be a two tier system the privately run care homes whose members belong to the new Tory Club and the State run ones for those less fortunate.By making those persons with houses laying empty sell up to help towards the cost of their care will lessen the burden on the taxpayers(a common Tory doctrine) and allow the govt to release funds for those unable to pay therefore affording all oaps a decent standard of care in the winter years of their life.
  
  I read one political commentator who said most elderly people save up for a rainy day and their house is their biggest asset.Well how big does a rainy day have to get...surely moving into a care home for the rest of your life is about as rainy as it gets.
  
  On one hand the Tories are proposing take £25 per week off the 250,000 disabled people who are unable to work or support themselves whilst on the other hand if you own a million pound house you are only going to have to pay £8k to insure continous care for life so that you can pass on your wealth after you've snuffed it to family members without having to put anything back into society by way of taxes or contributions furthermore a change in the inheritance tax proposed by the Tories will also safeguard little Johnny from having to pay any tax in death duties either. Bloody typical.

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