I think we need to be clear about this (and I know I'm not fully up to speed with it) but as I understand it, some parts of LD are not in the NHS, they are managed through Social Services - and lots of parts of the public sector are being merged/taken over by commercial organisations these days. However, they will be contract managed, I am sure - and they will have to meet Care Quality Commission requirements, just the same as other organisations now falling under the CQC inspection programmes.
I'm not saying that what TWR says is incorrect, by any means, but I'd like to see a link or some article about this.
Public sector cutbacks are still huge at the moment, and whether or not there is private involvement it's still public sector health and social care delivery - there are standards to be met, with much less money.
...and yes, there are people who need jobs so badly that they'd do this for less money.