Thursday, June 23, 2011

GREENS URGE COUNCIL TO HALT THE SALE OF CARE HOMES IN CROYDON


Press release circulated earlier this month.


GREENS URGE COUNCIL TO HALT THE SALE OF CARE HOMES IN CROYDON


In light of Southern Cross's financial difficulties and the recent BBC Panorama investigation, Croydon Green Party today urged Croydon Council to halt their plans to privatise the care of elderly residents. Last month Croydon Council decided to outsource the management of three residential care homes (1) and seven sheltered housing schemes to Care UK.

Green Party member, Ross Hemingway said: "The elderly and most vulnerable in Croydon are not customers who can come and go but patients who must be treated with the dignity.

"Where care services are provided with profit in mind, we will continue to see the low cost options taken; the inevitable low wages, untrained staff and ultimately poor quality of care.

“We must stop treating care homes like profit-driven businesses and see them as valuable public services to be properly funded and freely accessible. Labour councils across the country have rushed to cash in on care homes too. So whilst I am pleased to see Labour councillors in Croydon are also keen to stop the takeover of these care homes, they need to challenge the council from a principled position otherwise they appear to be just trying score points. “

Ends


Notes

(1) Heavers Court in Selhurst, Langley Oaks in Selsdon and Addington Heights in New Addington.

(2) Ross Hemingway lives in Upper Norwood


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