From the Herald’s Entertainment Correspondent, Brian Beacom, the pretty uncontroversial ‘opinion’ which must surely disappoint his clickbait manager.
I don’t know whether Beacom goes on to suggest nationalisation but given his earlier pieces defending Rod Stewart’s right to vote for Boris Johnson and his proud defence of the older man’s inalienable right to get a thatch like Andrew Neil’s, it seems unlikely.
Anyhow, here are some reasons why nationalisation is needed:
From the Daily Record only three weeks ago as covid-19 spread:
Care home bosses could face fines or even jail if they don’t comply with new measures to protect staff and residents. Following allegations that one care home had locked personal protection equipment away from staff who needed it, a union boss called for full enforcement legislation to be used against any care home shown to be negligent.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/dodgy-scots-care-home-bosses-21830850
From the Socialist Worker in 2016:
Profit margins are high. The industry is dominated by low pay and labour is estimated to be 60-80 percent of all costs. For some years firms have milked the public purse while squeezing staff. Of 224 care firms investigated, 115 failed to pay the minimum wage. Figures last year showed that more than half the care companies investigated by customs officials were paying their workers less than the minimum wage.
https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/41916/Billions+made+from+care+home+crisis
From the Telegraph in 2019:
More than 100 failing care homes are being run by directors who have been forced to shut down others after residents died or were neglected, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal. An investigation by this newspaper found 121 care homes – rated ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) – which are run by people who have been forced to close other homes after the care regulator found alarming incidents of neglect.
Kilgour is not the only care home owner grateful to the Tories.
Ravinder Gidar owner of Gold Care with 23 homes of which 2 have failed inspections, was invited to the Conservative’s summer party in June 2013 and gave £50,000 to the Party a few months later.
A Worcestershire MP accepted nearly £12,000 from a failing Birmingham nursing home on behalf of his constituency office, it has been revealed. Critics have called on Culture Secretary Sajid Javid to give back the money and questioned his judgement in accepting the donation from the Moundsley Hall Care Home in Kings Norton.
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/failing-birmingham-care-home-moundsley-7270726
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
People before Profit is the Tory Boy/Girl way.
You just have to look at ‘disaster capitalists’ like Grease Moggs sister for example!
http://archive.is/mwRJm
My opinion is that there should be no private health and social care providers in a truly caring country.
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I totally agree JTW.
The problem for Scotland is obvious. We cannot fund anything substantial without that also being the policy in England. Since I dont believe that will be the solution to elderly care (“I have a plan, says Boris”) down south, we will need to add it to the list of Things to Do after independence.
My credentials for elderly care solutions are as follows:-
A.- I am long retired.
B.- My “expertise” (such as it is) lies in non-relevant subjects.
C.-I am a self-opinionated old fart.
D.-I am available for interviews, anytime, anywhere, with anyone.
E.- Look at ME–look at ME–I am jumping up and down and waving! Me! Me!
Prof Hugo Badpennyngton-Turnup.
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For a minute thought you meant me, especially C!
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There is some stinging criticism of the SG in this report. I have copied the bits about care homes. It is important in many ways for the SG to get right the next part of dealing with covid 19. That is understatement.
“The majority of care homes in Scotland are private for profit (58.6%), with voluntary or not-for-profit providers accounting for 27.1% of the sector and local authority or Health Board provision for 14.3%[xvi]. In Scotland there are 32,691 residents in care homes for older people and 26,053 of these are in private care homes. 67,985 people received home care during January to March 2018.
The number of local authority and NHS care homes for adults in Scotland decreased by 31% between 2007 and 2017, while a 21% decrease was seen in the private sector in this time. This is despite the number of residents in private care homes increasing by 6%[xvii].
Four Seasons is a large multinational with 15 care homes in Scotland and yet the Financial Times has reported that ‘tracing the finances at Four Seasons is all but impossible; the company’s sprawling structure consists of 200 companies arranged in 12 layers in at least five jurisdictions, including several offshore territories’ and that £71 per bed goes towards debt repayment. Despite this, its highest paid director received £1.58 million in 2016. Four Seasons health care went into administration in April 2019[xviii].
Data from the US has shown that those nursing homes with the highest profit margins are of the poorest quality[xix]. This effect is seen in the UK too: 84% of care homes run by local authorities were rated good or outstanding, compared with just 77% of for profit homes, according to Lang Buisson in August 2019.”
https://www.scer.scot/database/ident-12745
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