Council and NHS step in for 60 Doncaster residents receiving care by troubled Allied HealthcareÂ

Council bosses have had to intervened to safeguard vulnerable residents who receive home care from a finance-stricken firm.Â
By The Newsroom
Published 30th Nov 2018, 17:05 BST
Updated 30th Nov 2018, 17:10 BST
Doncaster Council are facilitating the transfer of staff to a new provider. Picture: Stock image provided by AnchorDoncaster Council are facilitating the transfer of staff to a new provider. Picture: Stock image provided by Anchor
Doncaster Council are facilitating the transfer of staff to a new provider. Picture: Stock image provided by Anchor

Allied Healthcare, who provide domiciliary care for 60 residents in Doncaster announced they were looking to sell the contract. 

But Kate Anderson-Bratt, head of service for commissioning and contracts, said the council had served notice with Allied and continued on with their contingency plan to transfer staff.

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Ms Anderson-Bratt said the service would not be brought back in house but were 'facilitating' a transfer to another private provider.

Allied were responsible for carrying out 1,084 hours of home care a week for the council and 500 hours of complex care packages for Doncaster NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).  

The transition process is to start on Monday, December 3 to ensure minimal disruption to the current service. 

Government regulator Care Quality Commission said it was concerned about the viability of services run by Allied Healthcare from the end of November and had warned councils to make contingency plans.

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It said the company had '˜failed to provide adequate assurances' regarding future funding and there was now a credible risk of disruption to services.

Ms Anderson-Bratt gave an update to councillors on the Adult Social Care Scrutiny Panel.

She said: "Ourselves and the CCG have worked very closely together while this has been unravelling around the Allied Healthcare situation.

We were notified two weeks ago (Nov 12) that their financial standing was only guaranteed until November 30 and no assurances could be made. 

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'We've then gone through and got our contingency plans in place and we first looked at our strategic-lead providers to assist us where Allied could no longer deliver packages. 

'After Allied told us they would no longer be continuing, we had to look at a transition which we have done. We continue to work with our strategic-lead providers to put transfer plans in place for staff so these care packages continue. 

"We are confident all those care packages will be transferred prior to the day Allied will no longer be in business with us past December 1. 

'We know it's a difficult time in the run up to Christmas so having that new provider in a couple of weeks before is always better.'

Related topics:HealthcareDoncasterNHSCCG