One of our regular readers has highlighted this BBC report on the latest move to salvage the financially troubled Southern Cross business, which includes in its 300 establishments around the UK a handful of care homes for the elderly in Croydon.
As Chris Wilcox rightly points out, the BBC report seems to suggest that any jobs cut will be for those who actually do the work of day-to-day care for the residents at these homes.
As we reported last week, the business troubles of Southern Cross, which seeks to profit from the long-term care of the elderly and the sick, reflect the possible fate of several other care homes in Croydon, which Councillor Margaret Mead is seeing handed over to another company, Care UK.
Wilcox has accessed the recruitment website of Care UK, and he found jobs advertised (not necessarily in Croydon, but indicative of the company policy of driving down its costs through hiring on the cheap) with pay at the minimum wage; one manager vacancy advertised on a £16,000 salary; and another carer job offering less than £200 per week.
“Clearly,” Wilcox tells us, “these staff will be very highly trained…”
Related articles
- Elderly care done on the cheap at couldn’t care-less Croydon (insidecroydon.wordpress.com)
- Blackstone looks to buy Southern Cross debt (telegraph.co.uk)
- Southern Cross in emergency move to offload 180 homes (telegraph.co.uk)
- Private care homes: When carers fail (economist.com)