Another care group enters administration

Choices Care Home Group, which runs homes throughout Scotland and the North East of England, has gone into administration.

 

 

The Livingston-based group operates homes offering a range of services including supported living, domiciliary care and residential services to around 800 individuals with learning disabilities. It also employs around 1,400 staff.

Administrators were appointed due to ongoing cash problems at the group, and the supported living business was immediately transferred to Mears Care Scotland Limited. This move protects 500 people's jobs, and they have been transferred over to their new employer with immediate effect.

Age Scotland spokesman Lindsay Scott said: "We welcome the fact that new operators were immediately in place for the supported living business and that the company is trying to secure a suitable buyer for the remaining part of the business.

"The immediate priority however must be to maintain continuity of care throughout this doubtlessly worrying time for those in the company's care and their families, not to mention affected staff.

"All too often our ageing population is blamed for the collapse of service providers, but this clearly shows that it is not just the care of older people that is experiencing problems but wider care services too.

"We believe the fundamental issue underpinning why the second major care provider within a couple of months has gone into administration, is that high quality services cost money, and for too long we have not been prepared to face up to this fact."