HEALTH bosses are trying to safeguard care home places for more than 170 Gwent people currently living in premises run by troubled Southern Cross Healthcare.

The financial crisis that has engulfed the UK’s largest care home provider led to an announcement earlier this month of its intention to cease operating homes and to transfer them back to landlords.

There is no embargo on admissions to Southern Cross care homes in Wales, health boards and local authorities having been asked to continue with placements.

But there is no guarantee all the company’s homes will survive the transfer process, due to be completed by the end of October, and Aneurin Bevan Health Board is drawing up an emergency plan in case some residents need to be relocated quickly.

The latest figures show there are 167 Gwent people placed with Southern Cross in Gwent and seven out-ofcounty placements, the health board’s contract with the company covering free nursing care and continuing healthcare.

“Aneurin Bevan Health Board recognises that it would be a significant challenge to secure new and appropriate placements for these vulnerable individuals and is continuing work to ensure we are in a state of readiness should the situation deteriorate further,”

states a board report.

The plan will deal with care homes closing in “very urgent sets of circumstances”

should the “sustainability of these Southern Cross care homes - through and following the transitional process - become questionable and significant areas of concern.”

Weekly meetings are also taking place between the health board, councils and Southern Cross on issues such as ensuring quality of care in the homes, staffing levels, care reviews and risk assessments.