THE crisis in social care provision in Wales cannot be resolved as long as profit is the prime motive for its provision, a damning new report said today.

The Tory government-imposed system of commissioning, outsourcing and the lust for profits from private care companies, lets down people needing care and their carers, the Unison Cymru study finds.

The report was launched in Cardiff today at a gathering of Welsh government ministers, council leaders and care workers.

It accused privateers of attacking wages of care workers and forcing unmanageable workloads on them, leading to tens of thousands quitting.

Most care services are provided by a handful of huge companies, it said.

The report says says the £1.2 billion care “market” in Wales is dominated by private companies and “no-one knows how much money is disappearing from the sector in profit or is wasted in the commissioning process.”

The Welsh government, working with Labour and Plaid Cymru, plans to introduce a national care service.

Unison regional secretary Dominic MacAskill said: “We can’t afford to lose this opportunity to get a national care service right at its inception and transform care forever.

“That means putting an end to a sizeable chunk of the taxpayer money that funds social care going to private investors in tax havens.

“The private sector always has one eye on delivering a dividend for investors, not what is best for our Welsh communities and that’s why care services should be directly and democratically provided by local authorities and be properly funded.”

The Welsh government has been contacted for comment.