Warning issued for care provider in Greater Manchester
- Care Quality Commision warns about financial viability of Allied Healthcare
- Company refutes need for concern
- Councils within Greater Manchester provide reassurance to service users
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued stark warnings over the financial viability of Allied Healthcare, a private company that provides care at home services including to three councils within Greater Manchester.
The company has provided reassurances that it has funding until the end of November however the CQC has issued a warning to councils that:
we consider there to be a credible risk of service disruption
Allied Healthcare is one of the biggest care at home providers across England.
They told the BBC earlier this week that they felt the CQC’s warning was “premature and unwarranted” as they had provided financial assurances.
Allied Healthcare also said: “The CQC has disregarded these assurances in spite of the robust evidence we have provided,”
The CQC has said it was their legal obligation to provide the warning to councils.
The three councils within Greater Manchester that use Allied Healthcare are Rochdale Borough Council, Wigan Council and Trafford Council.
Rochdale Borough Council commissioned the company earlier this year as part of a contract worth £9m to provide care at home to residents across Middleton.
The council states it has implemented a new framework to ensure there is resilience within the local care system.
Tracey Harrison, Rochdale Borough Council’s assistant director for commissioning said:
We can therefore provide reassurance that people’s care and support meets will continue to be met
Wigan Council have stated that they only have a few residents receiving services from the company. Jo Willmott, assistant director for provider management and market development at Wigan Council, said:
We have robust plans in place to ensure continuity of care
Trafford Council states that up to 30 residents could be affected if Allied Healthcare collapsed. They also wanted to reasure service users saying that they were closely monitoring the situation and were supportive of the steps Allied Healthcare was taking.
A Trafford Council spokesperson said:
We have taken steps to ensure residents will continue to receive excellent care if we lose Allied (Healthcares) service
They added: “other local providers are in a position to provide employment opportunities for any homecare workers who are affected.”