Homes firm loses Haringey contract

Haringey
Council has decided to end its contract with a care provider and
take back the management of six residential homes.

Members
of the council’s policy and strategy committee have given Community
Support Services (CSS) six months’ notice of its intention to end
the current contract, which was due to finish in March 2003. CSS
has been managing six of the council’s residential care homes since
1993.

However,
the council has “grown increasingly concerned” about the
difficulties CSS has been experiencing in “sustaining the high
standard of care Haringey expects for people in residential care”.
Despite regular monitoring and support CSS could not meet the
council’s expectations.

“We have
looked at all of the options available to us but no longer think
that CSS has the capacity to deliver what we expect. We believe
this to be the best option for the residents and staff,” said Takki
Sulaiman, lead member for social services and health.

However,
chairperson of CSS Anslem Samuel said that the council’s decision
was flawed and that officers, including the director of social
services, confirmed in meetings with CSS senior managers that the
action was not because of any dissatisfaction with current
standards of care. He added that no concern about care was
expressed at the last contract-monitoring meeting in February and
that registration inspectors had recently given CSS a clean bill of
health over some improvements.

CSS
claims the council owes it £1.6m, some of which dates back to
1998.

A
spokesperson for Haringey stressed that there was no evidence to
suggest any mistreatment of residents, but there were concerns that
CSS was not delivering high enough standards of care.