A statement from Kent County Council - Southern Cross
Homes
2 June 2011
Southern Cross Care Homes, Britain's biggest care
provider, faces financial problems and difficulties. This is
KCC's response:
Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and
Public Health, Graham Gibbens,
said:
"Within Kent, there are only five Southern Cross homes
where we fund places, out of about 100 nursing homes across the
county. There are five other Southern Cross homes outside the
county council boundaries.
"We do want to work with Southern Cross and to avoid people
having to move. I fully understand how nervous and concerned
residents may be, and their families and friends. We are
trying to work with Southern Cross to ensure quality is maintained
for residents and their families at this difficult time.
"Our role is to ensure that the quality of care is maintained.
Staff within our adult social care team are working with Southern
Cross and with all care providers to ensure services are being
maintained to the highest quality.
"Officers of the county council regularly go into homes where we
have residents. I have evidence of work being done during April and
May to ensure care quality standards are being maintained.
"It's not just our 85 people. There are a further one hundred
plus people who are in Southern Cross homes and we want to ensure,
should Southern Cross go into administration, that we will work
with the administrator.
"They are nursing homes. We will work together with the National
Health Service to ensure that the service continues and is
maintained to a high standard."