The head of Agincare, which operates a care home in Southampton, has defended raising the prices for live-in residences by nearly £50 per week.
Derek Luckhurst, chair of the group based in Dorset, said that fees needed to rise because of the rising costs of PPE and agency staff wages during the coronavirus pandemic.
On its website, the 23 branch firm advertises ‘high quality, affordable care‘, and yet families of elderly and vulnerable residents have told the BBC in the past week that they have been billed an extra daily charge of £6.47 as of the beginning of April.
Department of Health and Social Care guidelines state that PPE is only free to care homes in emergencies, despite signs that the facilities are fast becoming the new epicentre of the coronavirus in the UK with over 3,000 reported deaths.
Despite the unexpected rise, Agincare continue to promote their price transparency, saying, ‘once we have agreed the support you need, we will tell you how much we charge. There are no hidden charges‘.
