- At least a dozen local authorities are listing vulnerable people's details
- Ages and care needs including medication sent to up to 100 care firms
- They pick which people to bid for - and cheapest offer nearly always wins
- Expert Ros Altmann: 'eBay-style' system 'awful' and 'just uncivilised'
- Health group leader: 'It's an absolute disgrace - it's like a cattle market'
The elderly
and disabled are being ‘put up for auction’ by local councils on
‘eBay-style’ websites, with care firms then bidding to offer them a bed.
At
least a dozen local authorities are listing vulnerable people’s details
– including their age and what care and medication they need – before
inviting bids from care homes in the area.
The
bidding is sometimes open for only a few hours, at other times it can
last for two or three days. The cheapest offer often wins.
Critics last night said the system was
akin to ‘auctioning your granny’ and a ‘cattle market’, saying sensitive
decisions about an elderly resident’s final years are being made by a
computer programme that is only interested in costs.
