Home help firm Care Direct Wales goes into liquidation

A care company which provides services to older and disabled people in their homes has gone bust.

Care Direct Wales, based in Bridgend, owed an undisclosed sum to HM Revenue and Customs and has gone into "creditors' voluntary liquidation" (CVL).

Under a CVL, a company that cannot pay its bills voluntarily ceases to trade and its assets are sold to repay its creditors.

The company has been asked to comment.

The firm's website says it is "a contracted provider to Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Neath Port Talbot county council social services". BBC Wales has contacted all three councils for a comment.

It is not yet known how many people it employed or how many were being cared for by the company.

Its latest inspection report published in September said that a safeguarding referral was made after a care call was not answered over several days and not reported.

However they also said people being cared for were treated with dignity and respect by care workers.

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The company was issued with a non-compliance notice as there were no manual handling plans or manual handling risk assessments in place.

Inspectors said the lack of assessments and plans meant that people were at "high risk of serious harm" because of the potential of falls or injuries.