| Pick of the day - MacIntyre: UK Undercover |
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The "distressing picture" of residential care for the elderly in the UK, says Donal MacIntyre, rests "on the banal and cumulative effect of poor practices and indifferent care workers".
To back up his case, MacIntyre sends his brother, a psychologist, to work and secretly film in a home that's being regularly monitored by the National Care Standards Commission. It makes for depressing viewing, as staff struggle with what should be the straightforward task of administering medicine, and urine-stained linen is inadequately washed in cool water. Last year, care homes closed at an alarming rate, with many former owners citing poor government and council funding. Forget MacIntyre's gloryhound reputation, this is a powerful, angry and necessary film.
Jonathan Wright |