Union's plan to fix care homes

National pay and standards will ease NHS crisis

- NIGEL NELSON

THE leader of Britain’s largest union is pressing for national pay and professional standards to end the crisis in care homes. 

Unison’s Christina McAnea says a National Care Service fully integrated with the NHS is the only way to free up 13,000 patients – who are fit enough to leave wards but have to stay put because there is no one outside hospital to look after them.

There are 165,000 unfilled posts in the social care system.