Care homes that hit residents with shock rises in bills or have contracts riddled with hidden charges are to be investigated by regulators looking to see if the sector is treating people fairly and providing value for money.
The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) inquiry will cover the 430,000 older people in care and nursing homes across the UK.
It comes weeks after a bleak Care Quality Commission assessment warned that the quality and safety of social care received by elderly and disabled people in England are at risk, with care homes closing and providers pulling out because they can no longer make enough money.
The CMA said its inquiry would examine reports of “potentially unfair practices and contract terms being used by some care homes” and whether they breach consumer law.
It said it would “particularly like to hear from care home residents and their relatives who have encountered issues such as unexplained or ‘hidden’ charges, unexpected fee increases, confusing requests for ‘top-up’ payments, or occasions when they feel that complaints have not been handled fairly”.
Full Content: The Guardian
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Federal Antitrust Trial Explores Potential Impact of Tapestry-Capri Merger
Sep 12, 2024 by
CPI
Australia Targets Big Tech with New Fines for Misinformation
Sep 12, 2024 by
CPI
Mastercard to Acquire Cybersecurity Firm Recorded Future for $2.65 Billion
Sep 12, 2024 by
CPI
Ireland Prime Minister: Apple’s €13 Billion Payment Could Fund Housing and Capital Projects
Sep 12, 2024 by
CPI
Regulators Probe Swisscom’s $8.8 Billion Vodafone Italia Deal
Sep 12, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Canada & Mexico
Sep 3, 2024 by
CPI
Competitive Convergence: Mexico’s 30-Year Quest for Antitrust Parity with its Northern Neighbor
Sep 3, 2024 by
Francisco Javier Núñez Melgoza
Competition and Digital Markets in North America: A Comparative Study of Antitrust Investigations in Mexico and the United States
Sep 3, 2024 by
Julio Garcia
Recent Antitrust Development in Mexico: COFECE’s Preliminary Report on Amazon and Mercado Libre
Sep 3, 2024 by
Alejandra Palacios Prieto
The Cost of Making COFECE Disappear
Sep 3, 2024 by
Mateo Fernández