Cambridgeshire council cancels HC-One care home contract over failures

The Elms in Whittlesey was closed after the company admitted shortcomings in care

A council is to cancel a £64m contract with the UK's biggest care provider following failures at care homes.

HC-One has closed one inadequate home in Cambridgeshire while another is in special measures, with residents found to be at risk of malnourishment.

County councillor Richard Howitt said it was "acting quickly to ensure [HC-One] does not continue to benefit from a substantial sum of public money".

HC-One said it "would work to ensure improvements are made" at its homes.

The BBC first reported on HC-One homes in Cambridgeshire in May, when bereaved relatives raised concerns after loved ones died at The Elms in Whittlesey in 2019.

Margaret Canham, David Poole and George Lowlett died in 2019 at The Elms

HC-One also apologised to the family of Joyce Parrott, who died in April 2020. Her daughter said no attempt was made to resuscitate her mother after records were mixed up with a person of the same first name.

The company subsequently announced the closure of The Elms, which was rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and another home, The Manor House in Upwood, due to staffing issues.

Last week, the CQC found another home run by HC-One in Ramsey, The Red House, was inadequate in all areas. It said the care was "unacceptable and people were at risk of harm".

The Red House in Ramsey, near Huntingdon, has been placed in special measures

Cambridgeshire Council County, which is run by a coalition of Liberal Democrat, Labour and independent councillors, said HC-One would no longer be contracted to provide care home beds under a deal for 99 beds, worth £64m over 15 years.

The authority said it would not be making new placements with the company, but existing residents would be given the option of staying in the remaining three homes run by HC-One locally.

It said it had offered to buy "the affected homes from HC-One" and this offer "remains on the table". However, a spokesman for HC-One claimed only "informal discussions" had taken place.

• Care home residents at risk of malnourishment - CQC

• One of UK's biggest providers to shut failing home

Mr Howitt, Labour's chairman of the council's adults and health committee, said: "Our action reflects how deeply disappointed we are by the poor performance of HC-One regarding The Elms.

"We worked with the provider over a sustained period to improve the quality of care at The Elms.

"We acted quickly in calling in the regulator and now we are acting quickly to ensure the provider does not continue to benefit from a substantial sum of public money, which we believe can be better spent elsewhere.

"We have many other brilliant providers offering excellent care, so it is right that HC-One is held to account regarding its poor performance. It is the duty of the council to act."

Richard Howitt said it was "the duty of the council to act"

In a statement, HC-One said: "Residents whose care is currently paid for by the council will continue to be supported at The Red House, The Gables, and The Cambridge care homes.

"We have historically held a separate contract with the council where a set number of rooms in our homes were reserved exclusively for the council to use. This contract has now ended.

"Delivering the right quality of care for our residents is our ultimate priority.

"We accept that standards are still not where they need to be, and we apologise for this. We will always have the best interests of our residents and colleagues at the forefront of our mind."