In the Media: Recent report into impact of outsourcing in England’s social care sector

In the Media: Report by Dr Benjamin Goodair and Dr Anders Bach-Mortensen on challenges in the UK Care Sector 

A recent report by Dr Anders Bach-Mortensen (previously Senior Postdoctoral Researcher at DSPI) and Dr Benjamin Goodair (previously Postdoctoral Researcher at DSPI) examining the privatised care sector in the UK has received extensive media coverage. The report highlights critical issues related to service quality and the impact of private ownership on care delivery. Featuring in The Guardian, LocalGov, and BNN Bloomberg, the report has drawn attention to the urgent need for reform in the sector.  

Find out more about the report.   

The Guardian 
Journalist Tom Wall highlights the troubling trends in care quality within privatised facilities. He focuses on findings that nearly all the care homes forced to close due to regulatory breaches were operated by private firms, pointing to the significant risks associated with a profit-driven approach to essential care services. 
Read the full article 

The Guardian Editorial 
An editorial commentary from The Guardian’s editorial board echoes the report’s urgent call for reform. The editorial states that privatised care in the UK is a ‘service crying out for change’ and that the report's findings are a 'wake-up call' that must not be ignored. The piece also emphasises that the current model’s focus on profit has distorted access to the services, with adult care homes being concentrated in wealthier areas. 
Read the full editorial 

LocalGov 
This article outlines the key findings from the report: that care service outsourcing to profit-driven models has surged despite quality concerns. 
Read the full article 

BNN Bloomberg 
A feature article by Sabah Meddings and Abhinav Ramnarayan for BNN Bloomberg highlights the report’s findings on private sector dominance in care homes, raising concerns about quality of care given to vulnerable adults and children. The article highlights the complexities of private ownership in the UK’s care sector and how the care sector has been an 'ongoing political headache' for the UK government. 
Read the full article 

A further article on this research has also recently been published in the British Medical Journal, co-authored by Dr Bach-Mortensen, Dr Goodair, Adrienne McManus and Michelle Degli Esposti. Find out more.