Northamptonshire County Council to set up social care company

Proposals to set up a new company to provide social care in Northamptonshire are to be considered by the county council.

The plan would see Olympus Care Service Ltd take over the running of the council's services for people who qualify for free or subsidised care.

But the council-owned firm would also be able to be seek private care work.

Councillors will discuss the plans on 13 March and if its gets the go-ahead the firm will start trading on 1 April.

'Personal budgets'

Councillor Robin Brown, responsible for health and adult social services, said: "Anybody who wants to access particular types of social care will be able to purchase it as well as those who qualify for it through the criteria which the council operates.

"We have moved away from simply providing generic packages of care for people, and instead have encouraged the growing use of personal budgets to promote independence and control."

The company will be owned by the council and it would be accountable for the service.

Mr Brown added: "The people who are delivering the service will be much more responsible for the way the service develops in the future."