One of the biggest political stories of the day is Southern Cross, Britain’s largest care home operator which is responsible for 31,000 elderly people.
There are growing concerns about the financial viability of the business given its large debt pile and its growing rental obligations to an array of landlords; talks come to a head today.
Labour has called on the government to prove that it has a “Plan B” in the event of failure; many councils have little experience of providing care homes, and certainly not on this kind of scale.
Downing Street is insisting that it will ensure “effective protection” for anyone affected: “We are clear that we are putting the interests of the residents first”, the prime minister’s official spokesman said.
For the FT’s recent coverage – including a three-page investigation on Tuesday – here are some links:
Today:
Ministers braced for care group’s collapse
Southern Cross affair erupts into bail-out row
Landlords face cuts in summer rent payments
Yesterday
FT reveals evidence of worse care standards at private operators
How the “prop co-op co” financial model of care homes fell apart
Growing pressure on the Care Quality Commission
Personal accounts of neglect in care homes
Nick Timmins: The NHS has spent £1bn placing mentally ill patients in private hands
Meanwhile
Separately BBC’s Panorama programme has been praised for its investigation into a Bristol care home for vulnerable adults with learning difficulties. Four people have been arrested today.
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey