This is probably the wrong place to put this, so I apologise. I live near Bexhill, which is famous round here for being populated with old people, and therefore has lots of care homes. I was in my first year of a BTEC Health Studies course and had to do a placement at one of these care homes, which was an EMI home. On my first day I knew this wasn't a good care home, but couldn't put my finger on the reason, being a naive 16-year-old. But the next week I witnessed one of the carers dragging one of the residents (please note, the resident was very frail and had Alzheimer's) across the dining room to her table, and all the while the resident was screaming for help. My dad is a social worker, so I made my excuses and went outside to phone him. He told me to tell my tutor immediately, and a formal complaint was made. That gave me a very negative view of care homes, and I vowed never to enter one again. Well, until I was desperate for a job in summer 2005, and the only job was as a kitchen assistant in a care home. I got the job, and have never looked back. This care home is a wonderful place. All of the residents look out for each other, and the more independent residents look after the more vulnerable ones. The carers are all fantastic at their jobs, and even though they're badly paid they'll gladly do overtime for the benefit of the residents. So I learned, before it was too late, that care homes aren't all bad places, you've just got to trust your instincts. Hopefully your patch in London has some good places too, Tom!