Campaigner in private care homes row.

A NORTH Wales campaigner for the elderly yesterday hit out at private home owners.

Wrexham activist Ken Mack is shocked after the Registered Nursing Home Association failed to support his campaign to stop residents being evicted from care homes.

The chief executive of the RNHA, Frank Ursell, wrote to Mr Mack about a petition he has organised calling for a bill of rights to protect the elderly being evicted from care homes if they close.

Mr Ursell said yesterday: ``Mr Mack's request is totally unreasonable. Local authorities in North Wales are not prepared to pay more than about pounds 380 a week to care homes,and for this residents receive full board and lodging, nursing care, staffing and laundry. At these rates owners are bankrupted and the patients end up in long stay wards in NHS hospitals,costing the taxpayer more than pounds 1,000 per week.''

Mr Mack said: ``I am really shocked, surprised and very disappointed by this.

It raises an important question. Where do private care home owners stand with regard to the legal and human rights of the residents in their care?''

Mr Mack has so far collected 14,000 signatures for his petition, which urges the government to give legal protection to elderly people so that they cannot be evicted from care homes. His mother in -law died shortly after the closure of her Wrexham care home.

Mr Ursell said that Government policy is placing a greater emphasis on older people remaining at home for as long as possible, and there are now more care home beds than there are patients wanting them.

The government has introduced a requirement that homes must give three months' notice of closure,but Mr Ursell said that this is not always possible.

``If a bank forecloses on a mortgage it does so with a mere 28 days notice. The consequence is that the home is no longer able to trade and will close immediately.''