A Plymouth home care provider has announced that it has gone into liquidation.
Plymouth City Council has confirmed the news that 1st Call Homecare has closed its doors, issuing a statement from managing director Leanne Shore.
“1st Call Homecare ltd has gone into liquidation,” Shore said.
“We are working closely with Plymouth City Council to ensure that the service continues without interruption and that all service users and staff are fully supported during this difficult time.”
The news comes after the care provider, based in St Judes, hit the headlines for failing to pay workers on time.
The MD said in July that a technical glitch was responsible for failing to pay up to 100 workers on time for the third time in two years.
The service was rated Good overall by the CQC at its last inspection in July, and Requires Improvement for safety.
Commenting on the closure, a Plymouth City Council it has been working closely with other care providers to ensure alternative arrangements are made for service users.
A spokesperson told Plymouth Live:
“Since we were notified of 1st Call Domiciliary Care Agency’s intentions
to close, we have been working closely with other providers to make alternative
arrangements for service users, clearly supporting their needs is the most
important consideration as we move forward.
“1st call currently provide 3,500 hours per week of domiciliary care for people
in their own homes, and support to seven extra care schemes within the city. So
we are also working with providers across the city to ensure that we retain the
skills and expertise of the highly valued workforce, who we have been meeting
with throughout today.
“We appreciate this is a very difficult time for service users and their
families and staff, but we will be working with new providers to ensure they
are supported accordingly, and that there is continuity of care.”
