The Financialisation of Care: Investment funds and the sustainability of UK care homes

Abstract

A sustainable care sector depends not only on sufficient funding, but also on the ways in which finance is sourced and used by providers. This research identifies changing uses of debt and real estate assets among large care home companies. It explores the implications for care workers, the built environment of care homes, and the stability of the sector. Findings are based on analysis of corporate reports and interviews with investors, carers and managers. Theoretically, the study is informed by care ethics and critiques of financialisation. Overall, I argue that certain financial strategies have made the sector more fragile, and a different approach is needed to ensure universal access to good care and decent employment in the sector.

Speaker biography

Amy Horton joined UCL as a lecturer in economic geography at UCL in 2017, after completing a PhD at Queen Mary University of London. Her research examines the intersections of finance, care and labour. In particular, she investigates the financing of care homes and strategies for organising by care workers and wider movements, in both the UK and US. Previously, Amy worked as a policy researcher and campaigner in NGOs focusing on the international financial institutions, financial regulation and human rights.

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