|
|
 |
| |
Cllr Ursula Woolley |
Jobs safe as firm wins home care contract
Switchover protects workers’ terms and conditions
ANOTHER private firm has been chosen to run Islington’s home care services after the contract with Care UK was terminated.
The Town Hall lost faith in Care UK’s ability to continue providing services following a number of complaints from clients.
From December, Enara will employ all 70 staff who worked under Care UK. Islington Council has confirmed that their terms and conditions will remain the same.
Care UK will continue to run care homes and day centres in Islington.
Lib Dem councillor Ursula Woolley, the council’s adult social care chief, has admitted she does look more “sceptically” at Care UK after it failed to meet required standards for home care services.
The company has been criticised in recent years. First, for slashing staff wages when it took over the care homes contract in 2006, leading to warnings that the quality of care would suffer.
Then, when a manager of Lennox House care home in Finsbury Park – run by Care UK – was suspended after the bodies of two pensioners were left in their rooms for a couple of days after their deaths.
Cllr Woolley told a recent full council meeting: “We all remember they made mistakes in the past with our residential care and that has certainly affected our opinion of them.
“However, whereas in the case of the residential care homes, they agreed an improvement plan with us and acted on it, in the case of the home care contract we’ve just terminated, they did not.”
The contract with Care UK ends on December 3, when a three-month notice period expires.
Enara’s contract runs until March 2012. |
 |
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
