Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what contingency plans his Department has for the possibility of a collapse of the Four Seasons care home operator.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) continues to monitor the situation with Four Seasons Healthcare Group through the Market Oversight scheme. Market Oversight is a statutory scheme, as set out in the Care Act 2014, through which the CQC assesses the financial sustainability of those care organisation that local authorities may find difficult to replace should they fail and become unable to carry on delivering services.

The Care Act 2014 places temporary duties on local authorities to intervene to protect individuals where a care provider is no longer able to carry on because of business failure and services cease.

In 2015, Local Government Implementation Unit, Local Government Association, Association Directors of Adult Social Services and the Department published guidance to local authorities on contingency planning for provider failure. The Government is continuing to work with local authorities to ensure they have effective and up-to-date contingency plans in place.