Cornwall Care, the largest provider of social care in Cornwall, has been acquired by housing association Sanctuary Housing.
The acquisition was finalised by Cornwall Council on 27 June. Although Cornwall Care, which operates 16 homes with a total of 645 beds, is a registered charity, Cornwall Council owns the buildings themselves, having leased them to the provider.
At a cabinet meeting it was agreed that 14 of the homes would be transferred to Sanctuary Housing. The remainder have already been mothballed by Cornwall Care, which reduced the provider’s offering by 111 beds.
Cllr Andy Virr said: “Cornwall Council’s mission is to build communities where everyone can start well, live well, and age well. As part of this, making sure people as they age can access good quality care and support when they need it is a key priority for Cornwall Council and this year the council has invested an additional £45 million into adult social care services.
“Through this deal, facilitated by the council, Sanctuary will be providing significant investment to modernise the homes. It will also ensure that all staff working for Cornwall Care are paid at least the Foundation Living Wage in recognition of the invaluable job that they undertake with investment in training, skills development and career progression opportunities. This all helps to secure Cornwall’s care market so that people get the right care, in the right place at the right time.”
The deal coincides with the introduction of Cornwall’s new Integrated Care System, which supersedes the Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group from 1 July.
