Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department last made an assessment of the viability of care companies; and what assessment he has made of the resilience of such companies.

The Department regularly monitors risks to provider viability and continuity of care in England. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to shape their local markets to ensure that they are sustainable, diverse and offer high quality care and support for people in their area. The Care Act also provides for the Care Quality Commission to monitor the financial health of the largest and most difficult to replace adult social care providers. This allows them to warn local authorities if a provider is likely to fail for financial reasons and gives local authorities time to activate their contingency plans.