The Press Release issued yesterday by National Care Association:
National Care Association Chief Executive Sheila Scott said this afternoon: “Members of National Care Association recognise the contribution that Cynthia Bower has made to the development of the Care Quality Commission during the last four years and wish her well.
We believe that with the publication today of the Department of Health report on the performance and capability review of the Care Quality Commission that this is the moment for a new start for the Care Quality Commission as there is clearly much still to do.”
ENDS
National Care Association Logo
Friday, February 24, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
News update
I was surprised to read this on the Financial Times website yesterday. I would be interested to know what you think.
Sheila
8 Feb 2012 2:50am
Four Seasons races to refinance £780m in debt
Kate Mackenzie
Four Seasons, the UK’s largest care-home operator, will seek to raise up to £230m in new equity from existing shareholders and private equity groups, as it tries to refinance £780m in debt before a September deadline, reports the FT. The company became the UK’s market leader after the collapse last year of Southern Cross, taking 140 homes from its defunct rival. Unlike Southern Cross, Four Seasons owns most of its homes, which means it is less vulnerable to rent increases and pressure on fees. However, a similarly aggressive expansion strategy before the financial crisis left it burdened with debt of £1.6bn, which was halved in 2009 through a debt-for-equity swap. The reduced net debt of £780m, which falls due in September, is still too much to refinance in the current weak debt market, said Pete Calveley, Four Seasons’ chief executive. Although the company intends to pay off the existing debt in full and on time, it believes it will be able to raise only a significantly smaller amount of new debt.
Sheila
8 Feb 2012 2:50am
Four Seasons races to refinance £780m in debt
Kate Mackenzie
Four Seasons, the UK’s largest care-home operator, will seek to raise up to £230m in new equity from existing shareholders and private equity groups, as it tries to refinance £780m in debt before a September deadline, reports the FT. The company became the UK’s market leader after the collapse last year of Southern Cross, taking 140 homes from its defunct rival. Unlike Southern Cross, Four Seasons owns most of its homes, which means it is less vulnerable to rent increases and pressure on fees. However, a similarly aggressive expansion strategy before the financial crisis left it burdened with debt of £1.6bn, which was halved in 2009 through a debt-for-equity swap. The reduced net debt of £780m, which falls due in September, is still too much to refinance in the current weak debt market, said Pete Calveley, Four Seasons’ chief executive. Although the company intends to pay off the existing debt in full and on time, it believes it will be able to raise only a significantly smaller amount of new debt.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Agenda Today
Off to a meeting of the Care Provider Alliance at 11am. First on the agenda, meeting with Department of Health senior official from the Better Regulation Department. I will have a lot to say.
Full report in Update to our members on Friday.
Full report in Update to our members on Friday.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Campaigning: 2012
I spent the day yesterday in Kent with our Chairman Nadra Ahmed planning our campaigning for the first 6 months of 2012.
First stop will be a paper for MPs about the number of organisations that can now inspect or assess care providers and following on from that the number of extra organisations that the Government has announced will also be involved such as Monitor, Health Watch and of course NICE too.
What care homes need right now is clarity, not more and more complexity.
First stop will be a paper for MPs about the number of organisations that can now inspect or assess care providers and following on from that the number of extra organisations that the Government has announced will also be involved such as Monitor, Health Watch and of course NICE too.
What care homes need right now is clarity, not more and more complexity.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Meeting with Care Providers Alliance & CQC
Yesterday I went to a meeting between the Care Providers Alliance and the Care Quality Commission at their headquarters.
Cynthia Bower the Chief Executive of CQC was there.
As always my blood pressure was raised from time to time and I guess that will continue!
More of that to members in an e mail at the end of the week.
Cynthia Bower the Chief Executive of CQC was there.
As always my blood pressure was raised from time to time and I guess that will continue!
More of that to members in an e mail at the end of the week.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Letter in Daily Telegraph: 3rd January 2012
There is a disappointing letter in today’s Daily Telegraph signed by 72 organisations involved in social care mainly in the voluntary sector.
The letter talks about the threat to the provision of social care unless a concensus can be reached around the funding of long term care.
We believe that one of the biggest threats to the future of social care is the failure to care and support for the care home sector.
Care homes are an essential part of the continuum of care, caring as they do for the frailest and most vulnerable older people.
That failure to support the care home sector in the coming year could cause even more instability to social care than anything else and that instability could put more pressure on the NHS than it could tolerate.
Our message for the New Year to the Government and the 72 organisations that signed today’s letter is “It is imperative that the CARE HOME Sector is recognised as part of the solution to this funding conundrum. Splitting the sector will weaken the impact and fail the frail and elderly population we serve".
The letter talks about the threat to the provision of social care unless a concensus can be reached around the funding of long term care.
We believe that one of the biggest threats to the future of social care is the failure to care and support for the care home sector.
Care homes are an essential part of the continuum of care, caring as they do for the frailest and most vulnerable older people.
That failure to support the care home sector in the coming year could cause even more instability to social care than anything else and that instability could put more pressure on the NHS than it could tolerate.
Our message for the New Year to the Government and the 72 organisations that signed today’s letter is “It is imperative that the CARE HOME Sector is recognised as part of the solution to this funding conundrum. Splitting the sector will weaken the impact and fail the frail and elderly population we serve".
Social Care in the News
Despite the holidays, there has been a great deal in the press and on the TV and radio about social care.
Yesterday it was about the government announcement of 150 million new money for domiciliary care - good for domiciliary care, but what about residential care which is suffering very badly too?
Yesterday it was about the government announcement of 150 million new money for domiciliary care - good for domiciliary care, but what about residential care which is suffering very badly too?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
