Care firm collapses

A HOME care company has been forced to close due to increasing financial pressures after more than 16 years of caring for local people.

From Monday Quality Care Home Services will end its care, food prep, cleaning, end-of-life and dementia care to around 125 clients.

The closure follows changes to the company’s contract with Oldham Council in April

Owner Maureen Edwards (62) said: “Oldham Council was simply not paying us enough to run the service.

“From the £12.60 per hour per person we received, we paid £7.22 to the worker as well as paying for insurance, equipment, training, mobile phones, quality control and much more. “It simply wasn’t feasible.”

The company hadn’t received a rise in payments from the council for seven years.

Oldham Council has stepped in to ensure no client of the company will be affected by the sudden closure. The 23 members of staff employed by the Hollinwood-based firm have been offered the chance to move to Oldham Care and Support while permanent decisions are made.

Members of staff were told about the changes on Wednesday, and clientss have been contacted over the past couple of days.

The changes made to care contracts were part of Oldham’s ethical approach to improving standards.

The hourly rate of £12.60 was agreed by care providers earlier in the year to ensure carers were paid the Oldham Living Wage of £7.22 per hour.

It was also agreed the council would pay for every minute of care delivered, so there would be no incentive to cut the length of calls.