Roskov book 14, p.25
Roskov, Book 14, page 25
‘Hotels make more per room per day, but lose money on renewables and damage, and empty rooms. Hotels cost more to build and more to furnish.’
‘So how do these figures compare to projects in Sweden seen as good investments by people that don’t dog-ear books?’ I pressed.
‘The prison would be around thirty percent a year profit on running costs, which is high. Most projects are fifteen percent.’
‘So worth doing?’
‘Yes.’
‘Work out a supply chain, and work out how we save costs with the prison and it’s running, and we’ll build a few. But don’t forget my wine bars.’
‘Now we have six, soon to be sixteen.’
My secretary took a call then faced me. ‘The sister of some Conservative MP?’
I nodded and she directed the call to my desk phone. ‘Hello?’
‘Roskov?’
I felt an odd tingle. ‘Yes, and are you the M.E. sufferer?’
‘I am, yes, four years now.’
‘Are you free to travel?’
‘Got nothing else to do, in a wheelchair mostly.’
‘What’s your number?’ I wrote it down, Gloria her name, and her address was in Hertfordshire. ‘Pack a bag quickly, the rest we’ll organise. Got a valid passport?’
‘Yes, few years left on it.’
‘Wait a call from my staff, and … enjoy Corsica.’ Call ended, I stared at the phone for a moment before I gave the number to my secretary. ‘Call Michelle in Corsica and see if she has a villa or a room, if not a nice hotel of ours in the city.
‘Book a flight and pay for it with charity money, arrange a carer to travel with a wheelchair bound lady to Corsica then fly back, ask Michelle to sort a carer in Corsica via the Kudulov Estate.
‘And ask Michelle to sort a doctor linked to the Kudulov Estate to do a full medical on the girl each week, and to shove a lot of Mandoch Spring Water down the girl’s throat.’
‘Does it help M.E. sufferers?’ my secretary asked.
‘That’s what we want to know, hence the willing test subject.’
My Big Pharma contact called, and could we meet in London. I packed a bag and booked the hotel again, soon heading down with Dick Klein, Anders and David Hutton. Bonza would look after my house, and read his book after visiting his parents and brother.
At the Edinburgh Hotel we booked in, rooms for Pat and Dingle as well, and after a cup of tea and a chat in the hotel bar we set off across town and to a posh set of offices not far from Parliament Square.
Walking in, a young man in a suit was stood waiting, and he led us up dated stairs not in a lift, two flights to a meeting room, maids on hand, about ten older men in the room, most of them grey-haired and overweight.
A man stepped forward and introduced himself, the man from the phone calls, Bob Bridges of Arrow. He introduced me to each old guy in turn, but there was no way that I would remember their names.
Sat at the table, Bill and Ted, Pat and Dingle sat in a corner with tea and cake after I had explained them, and my hosts mentioned Have I Got News For You with a smile.
The lead man finally asked, ‘It works like Viagra, the spring water?’
‘There must be something in the water that affects the nerves to the penis,’ I suggested. ‘The ancient writing described it, and so have a few people that have taken the water.’
‘There are studies being conducted?’
‘All around the world, as well as in Corsica itself, and I just sent an M.E. sufferer down there, sister to a Tory politician; she’ll have a full medical each week and keenly drink the water. Apparently she’s mostly wheelchair bound.’
‘Gloria Mascal?’
‘Yes, mentioned on the TV show.’
‘I know the family, and she was a classically trained pianist, very bright, and no way do I believe that she’s faking it for some sympathy; this is a woman that would go climb Everest.’
‘We’ll see if it has any effect on her, but with a breakdown of the mitochondria we need a prevention not a cure, a cure would be impossible.’
‘Yes, once the damage is done … it’s done. We’re sending a team to Dr Gupta in Germany, a small investment, but if they find something it will be worthwhile. And your campaign there has raised a great deal of money already.’
‘The university can use the money for other things as well.’
He checked his notes. ‘You have some plans for data analysis?’
‘I want answers to a few questions, and the government doesn’t seem to have those answers.’ I held my hands wide. ‘How many people in this country will turn seventy, each day, for the next ten years?
‘How many of those people, on average, will have certain diseases, and for those diseases what treatment is normal, what drugs would be used, what would it cost?
‘If we work out the average lifespan, then we can work out in advance what the NHS will likely cost us taxpayers for the next twenty years. We then look at my nursing homes and the effect they have – on those predicted NHS costs.
‘Is it the case … that a sad old lady living alone gets sick more often, and is in poorer health generally - compared to someone in my nursing home that has friends close by, some dancing, a few organised activities?
‘Basically, we want to be able to say what effect ten years’ worth of pensioners being in my nursing homes has on the NHS.’
A man cut in, raising his pen, ‘The large study conducted in Finland made that comparison, and the happy communal pensioners lived longer in better health, by six percent on average.
‘Cost savings were seen, less medical attention needed. But … and it’s an important “but”, pensioners living longer does cost the taxpayers more money.’
‘Happy people have better health and live longer,’ I noted with a nod. ‘And living in Britain in the shit weather surrounded by miserable gits must have an effect.’
They smiled.
The main man noted, ‘Your place in Corsica looks fantastic, for a nursing home.’
‘It’s a Phase One as well, where preventative medicine will be practised and where we’ll want to see some French taxpayer cost savings – happy communal pensioners living longer but with less medical care.
‘They’ll have daily fruit, the sunshine to enjoy, swimming, and people to cheer them up, the results being a healthier bunch of people, a lowering of the care costs compared to a shithole of a nursing home in Paris.’
‘Any plans for a British home down there?’
‘We could build one for rich people, yes, but we would need to sort an agreement with the NHS for poor people to go there. But if the NHS hands me council renters, I could house them in Corsica for less than I could in the UK.’
‘And you’re happy to look at a combined operation, Britain and Corsica, the supply of primary prescription pharmaceuticals?’
‘If you’re the same price as Asia, then yes, jobs for people in Europe first.’
‘And you’re developing computer software, stock control and data retention…’
‘Every dose administered or tablet swallowed will be recorded. You’ll be able to draw down a list of all the applications of a certain drug, and the resulting effects it has, any reactions.
‘If you want a hand in designing that software you can, and you can have someone with a desk in the nursing homes for studies as well, questions asked of the patients, as well as any adverse reactions noted.’
‘You don’t mind that?’
‘It’s about helping the patients and advancing medical science, not the size of anyone’s cock.’
He blinked. ‘Quite, and if anyone other than you had said that they might not be believed, since profit is king.’
‘I make a good living, I don’t need to be super-rich, and if I was I’d probably hand it away.’
‘And you’ll open an AIDS hospice?’
‘Several, and yes – you can study the effect of your drugs there, more so than in our nursing homes. There you can take risks, with the consent of many of the patients – who have nothing to lose.’
‘We can conduct studies there?’
‘As many as you like, and I’ll open a few such places around the UK. What do you do with dialysis machines?’
‘We supply drugs that assist those in need of dialysis, so it is something we’re involved with. Why?’
‘Each large nursing home complex will have a building with ten or more dialysis machines, bought in bulk, research done.’
‘Again, we’re already involved with the NHS dialysis operations, which it seems you’ll pinch away from us.’
‘We will pinch it, yes, and offer to house the sufferers if needed.’
‘What timescale are you working to, as far as nursing homes go?’
‘I want the ground cut on forty to fifty homes this year, each home being a six month build and finish. We’re well advanced on the first two homes, which are now to be expanded, and we’ll build more Phase Zero housing.
‘Manchester will see eight nursing homes plus four large Phase Zero places -’
‘Just to clarify.’ He checked his notes. ‘Phase Three is a typical nursing home resident, immobile or with dementia…’
‘Yes.’
‘Phase Two is a resident that is either immobile or in need of much care, but not with dementia, visitors welcomed, trips made outside still…’
‘Yes.’
‘Phase One is someone who voluntarily goes there, expecting that within a few years they’ll need much care or be immobile…’
‘Yes.’
‘And Phase Zero is someone who voluntarily goes there, but may not need much care for five or ten years, they just desire a protected environment.’
‘Correct.’
‘And the local Leicester Council’s view … on Phase Zero people?’
‘We can’t work fast enough to please them; they want all the lonely old pensioners in one place, council houses freed up, some sold off.’
‘They want to dump on you?’
‘They do, but I’m happy with that, I want to grab the lonely old ladies and help them, but also save the taxpayer a shit load of money. And all of our studies suggest that the cost savings could be huge.
‘Just imagine all the lonely and afraid pensioners living in the same street. It would be easy to visit them, easy for doctors’ visits.’
‘It would, yes. You’ll change the nature of elderly care it seems.’
‘It’s long overdue.’ I pointed at Dick Klein. ‘Start an email and letter process with Dick here, the software, the data, the studies, so that we have them in place when we open the first homes, which could be in three months.’
The main man explained, ‘We have a few places around the UK where we hire cheap hotel rooms and conduct studies, the test subjects resident for a few weeks often, and often young and healthy. Where it comes to testing on pensioners … we could work something out?’
‘Yes, studies conducted inside the nursing homes, some extra cash for the residents and a bar of chocolate.’
They smiled. ‘We can sort that, yes. If you don’t mind answering, what do you see as a typical build and furnish cost for a nursing home here?’
‘The basic concrete Three-Phase is around fifty million to build and three or four million to furnish – no expensive medical kit, but we have excellent sources of furnishing that we can import in bulk. And we will.
‘Corsica is cheaper, around twenty million basic build cost, same imported furnishings bought in bulk. Without our own import business in place first, our own cement factory, nursing homes in Corsica would cost a fortune.’
‘You got the components sorted first, a smart move,’ he noted. ‘And the relationship with Asian importers?’
‘My Asian investors all have things to send to Europe, useful things, so it’s a double saving.’
‘And if Labour win the next election, which could be June…’
‘They’d pump some money into my projects, and we’d accelerate the process.’
‘We could also pump some money in…’ he floated.
‘I need time, not money, because I want to build and fill the first home, then learn from it for the second home. If all the homes are designed and started … we can’t alter them much later on.
‘Does the pool get too busy, is there a call for hairdressers to visit the residents, do people like to eat the café food and not cook, or the other way around – the café empty?
‘We won’t have the results of the first home for three months after it opens, but then we can affect the designs for future homes.’
‘Yes, a prudent move, but I think you may be being over cautious, because a traditional nursing home involves … the much doing of not very much each day, people sat around.
‘If there are facilities, then they’re all extras and useful and … a hell of lot better than just sitting in a chair all day.’
I told him, ‘Keep in mind that we’ll own and run everything, all the services and supplies, so we want to fine tune those supplies to make a profit from blue rinses and bread sold, therefore push down the operating cost.’
‘Our people have had a look at your designs and plans and they found nothing wrong.’
‘Good to know. Would you be interested in rich residents or social housing residents?’
‘As a return on investment, the richer residents, apartments sold.’
‘A London nursing home?’
‘Yes, definitely.’
‘Then I’ll have a look at land and let you know, we could do something jointly. If, in the meantime, you find some land then let me know and my people can have a look at it.’
‘A Three-Phase in Corsica would interest us as well, and we have the French connection already, a large workforce there, and a large former workforce of retirees.’
‘You saw the photos in the papers, white and orange building?’
‘Yes, it looks like a five star hotel.’
‘You could have one like that started straight away, your staff and your residents, a few joint services and supplies, and sat right next door to our existing homes. But we have started to plan for a posh nursing complex on the island.’
‘That would interest us more.’
‘I’ll chat to the people down there, and when we make a start you can have a home or two, size up to you, we’d build it for you. Scorfo Valley will be huge, but mostly social homes.
‘And as it stands, we have an enquiry list of twenty thousand French pensioners.’
‘Having seen the photo, I can see why!’
‘If you pay for and own nursing home down there we can do your supplies for a great price.’
‘You were awarded Battersea?’ he asked.
I turned to David.
David responded, ‘They’ve awarded it to us, we’ve started on surveys, but there could still be legal challenges. The council in Wandsworth will fight those legal bids, but the bids could cause a delay.
‘The Government has the last word, Social Services, and they won’t trust a company with no track record of elderly care – or without Ricky’s ability to fill a place.’
‘It would be hard work for anyone, to persuade pensioners to move,’ the main man noted, nodding. ‘I doubt anyone will challenge it, it would be a waste of legal fees.’
I asked, ‘How many nursing homes would you want, in Corsica?’
‘If they make a good profit, and assist our core businesses, then several.’
‘And Paris? Because I was offered some cheap land.’
‘We’d be very interested in Paris, yes.’
‘I was waiting for their government to change, then to start again the talks about land.’
‘Elections there in a few months,’ he noted. ‘And the incumbent will lose bigtime.’
‘So pencil in for this summer, the start of a monster nursing home complex in Paris, social housing, then a posh complex. All together, up to twelve thousand residents.’
‘We’re well connected in Paris,’ he told me. ‘And I spend a great deal of time there, a daughter working there.’
‘If I visit, I hope they’re not shooting at me,’ I quipped.
‘Demoine is gone, suicide they said.’
His team laughed as I smiled.
‘Worst case of suicide I’ve seen. Messy,’ I told them.
‘And your working relationship with the Prefect in Corsica…’
‘I get whatever I want,’ I bluntly stated. ‘Like Mandoch Valley, not least because I filled their hotels in wintertime, and their summer bookings are above seventy percent already. My own hotel is full.
‘This coming summer should record their highest tourist income to date for a season, and I’m importing goods so that the housewives and voters spend half what they used to on their weekly shop.’
‘Hence the voters desire to assist you every which way. It’s almost as if you planned it that way…’
‘Who me?’ I teased, making them laugh. ‘I just bungle along minding my own seagull.’
They laughed louder.
‘The large rat will never be forgotten by British audiences,’ the main man suggested.
‘When we visited No.10, I told my Asian investors to ask about the statues of Morecombe and Wise.’ They laughed again. ‘And they did. But the fortune teller in Bali had be sussed, she said: Mister, you’ve travelled a long way.’
They laughed, along with David and Dick.
‘She then said that I smelt like monkey piss, which I did because a small monkey had peed on me. I handed the trousers to a maid to clean, and tried to explain the smell of monkey piss.’
‘You know, some suggested that you would be difficult to deal with…’
I lifted an eyebrow at that suggestion. ‘We all have something we need, and something to offer. We can find the common ground … or we can behave like children and squabble.
‘I found that, being the football team captain for many years, I learnt how to deal with the squabbles by finding the common ground. And adults are just kids in bigger bodies.
‘The soccer pitch prepared me well for later life, which sounds odd when I’m just twenty and have been at this a whole two years now.’
They laughed.
‘Wait till you get to my age,’ the main man suggested.
