Reassurance given to care home residents
Reassurance has been given that residents at Southern Cross care homes, including the Oaks Care Centre, Balderton, will continue to be looked after while the company is broken up.
This week Southern Cross announced that all its landlords had signalled their intention to leave the company.
A plan is being formulated for the smooth transition of its homes to landlords and, where appropriate, their new operators.
The company says that, in addition to ensuring continuity of care, all payments to trade creditors will be maintained and all home-based staff transferred on their current terms.
The Oaks is the only Southern Cross care home in the Newark area. The company, which has run into financial difficulties, also has Beau Vale, Moor Lane, Bingham, Tudor Grange, Radcliffe, West Wolds, Burton Joyce, and Springwater Lodge, Calverton.
No details have yet been given about the future of individual homes.
The chief executive of Southern Cross, Mr Jamie Buchan, said: “My objective, and that of my team, is to continue to provide excellent care to every resident and to manage the programme of transition professionally.”
The break-up of Southern Cross has prompted calls for Nottinghamshire County Council to stop its planned sale of its care homes, including Woods Court, Newark.
Mr Martin Sleath, branch secretary at Nottinghamshire county Unison, said: “The collapse of Southern Cross is proof that the private sector cannot be trusted to run essential care services.”
Newark county councillor Mr Stuart Wallace, deputy cabinet member for adult social care and health, said private care had been provided in the county for more than 50 years and it was not helpful to use the situation at Southern Cross as a soapbox.
He said the council had been working with the NHS and the city council for some time to plan for any possible closures of Southern Cross homes.
He said the first priority was to ensure continuity of care for residents.
“We have developed a fair price for care with home-owners in Nottinghamshire and have invested more than £8m in recent years in care home fees to help to improve quality and to ensure that home-owners receive a fair price for the care they provide,” Mr Wallace said.
“The council does have to make sure that it’s getting the best value for council taxpayers’ money. This means the right care at the right price.”