Fears for elderly as care firm ‘faces collapse’

CARE for almost 10,000 pensioners could be at risk amid warnings from watchdogs that one of Britain’s largest home care providers may be on the brink of collapse.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has raised concerns that Allied Healthcare may not be able to continue to operate after this month.

The firm provides care in the homes of 9,300 pensioners, in more than half of local authorities.

Charities said the situation was “massively concerning”, raising fears that vulnerable people could be overlooked if the provider goes bust.

The 84 local authorities affected have been told they have a duty to ensure that all pensioners receiving care from the company continue to get help, should the company go out of business.

Allied Healthcare provides help with washing, dressing, and eating for pensioners across the country.

The firm insisted its operations are “sustainable and safe” and said the watchdog’s action was “premature and unwarranted”. CQC said it had been monitoring the company since April and had not received “adequate assurance” that it will have the funding to operate from December onwards.

A spokesman for Allied Healthcare said: “Our operations are sustainable and safe, we have secured a potential replacement of our credit facility and there is no risk to continuity of care.”

Sally Copley, director of policy, campaigns and partnerships at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “There couldn’t be a starker illustration of how close the social care system is to collapse after decades of underfunding.”