Some councils 'auctioning off' homecare
Domiciliary care insurance
9th April 2009
Homecare in parts of England and Scotland is being auctioned to companies in the private sector in an attempt to cut costs, it has been claimed.
According to research by the BBC, companies bid against each other on the internet to win contracts to provide care for elderly people.
Government adviser Dame Joan Bakewell has criticised the practice as "scandalous".
She commented: "The lowest bidder is going to cut costs, which means cutting care. It is the most uncivilised way to treat old people that I've ever heard."
The BBC's investigation found that some elderly residents were short-changed by care providers, with carers hurrying between appointments or missing them altogether.
A recent report by Help the Aged and Age Concern called for increased public investment of up to an additional £2 billion in social care for older people.
The report found that 19 per cent of pensioners currently live below the poverty line.
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