1-star food for residents ...but life of luxury for care home chief execs
2021. HC-One’s parent company is owned by one of Saudi Arabia’s wealthiest families.
Snaps on social media reveal his love of getting away from it all on holidays while staff at the group’s Welsh care homes are on £9.55 an hour.
The UK has more than 17,000 private residential homes – an industry worth £7.7billion.
In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher’s government made private care homes big business. Before this most were councilrun. Age UK says fees average around £600 a week for standard homes and more than £800 for those with nursing care.
All pledge to provide a “home from home” experience. Among them is Wessex Care which received a damning onestar hygiene report in October last year.
Residents at Milford Manor in Salisbury were fed reheated food despite the family-run group making £8million in 2022.
It’s a similar story at Roseberry
Care, where hygiene standards are “not being followed”.
Inspectors visiting its Dolphin View home in Morpeth, Northumberland, on January 9 this year found food stored at incorrect temperatures, with a risk of cross-contamination. Ray Haskin, whose elderly mother suffering from dementia lives there, said the score was “very worrying”.
He told us: “I was at work last week and my wife sent me a screenshot of the hygiene rating – it was a real shock and I’m going in this week to have a word about it. I’m not very happy at all.”
An Avery Healthcare spokesman said: “Avery Healthcare responded immediately addressing the issues identified by the Environmental Health Officer on the day of the visit in December. A further unannounced visit will take place imminently and the new published rating will be updated accordingly.”
James Tugendhat, CEO of HC-One, said: “We know everyone deserves great food, and it’s clear The Daffodils was not up to the high standard we hold ourselves to at HC-One when it was visited by inspectors last year. The team took immediate action because we are clear that the issues raised in the inspection are not what our Residents expect or deserve.”
The Care Quality Commission said it has power to prosecute if a care facility breaches section 14 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The regulation ensures people who use services have adequate nutrition and hydration to sustain life and
good health.
It was a real shock. I’m not very happy about it
RAY HASKIN ON MUM’S CARE HOME RATING