Company that manages Cookstown care home goes into administration

The care home operator that manages Cookstown's Fairfields home has gone into administration.

Care Circle Ltd and Slemish Homes Ltd, which are part of the Dunmurry-headquartered Care Circle Group, own and operate three homes in Northern Ireland, and manage a fourth.

The facilities owned by the companies are Braefield in Connor (on the outskirts of Ballymena), Slemish in Ballymena and Kingsway in Dunmurry. They also operate the Fairfields home in Cookstown.

Peter Allen from Deloitte has been appointed administrator.

However, assurances have been offered that all of the homes will continue to operate as normal and no job losses are planned.

The administrator intends to sell the homes as going concerns and Mr Allen said it would be “business as usual” until buyers are identified.

The homes owned and operated by the companies employ 310 permanent and agency staff.

Mr Allen said the businesses have been placed into administration to enable continued trading.

He added: “All necessary steps have been taken to ensure the existing standard of care remains in place at the homes.

“We are operating closely with the regulator and the Trusts and we will be meeting residents and their families to explain the purpose of the administration and to provide comfort that there will be no material difference in how the homes operate.”

Following the news Unison has warned of an impending crisis in residential care.

Joe McCusker, UNISON Regional Organiser, said: “ This is a very worrying development. Yet again we hear of private Care Homes going into administration or facing closure.

“This will not be the last we will hear of a private Care Home provider going into administration.”

“With a growing ageing population, closures of NHS and private operators Care Homes and an admission ban on permanent residential care placements by Health Trusts, we are heading into a crisis in Care Home provision for our current and future older people.”

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