Susceptible North Ayrshire residents have been left within the lurch after a care at dwelling service was served with a winding up order after amassing greater than half-a-million kilos of debt.
Round 43 Help Homecare (Scotland) Ltd service customers had been informed care giving had ended on Friday and 40 employees had been handed the devastating information that their contracts had been terminated.
It is understood HMRC served the Stevenston agency with the winding up discover on account of non-payment of PAYE (employees tax and Nationwide Insurance coverage contributions) during the last three years, accumulating a debt of over £500,000.
Help Homecare offers round 1,060 hours per week of care together with sleepovers to individuals with studying disabilities, bodily disabilities and a handful of older individuals.
A doc circulated to officers on the council on Friday says North Ayrshire Well being and Social Care Partnership (NAHSCP) have been scrambling to rescue the roles of Help Homecare staff because the HSCP is "not presently ready to cowl the extent of care required for the people" at such quick discover.
The report from Caroline Cameron, the director of North Ayrshire Well being and Social Care Partnership, reads: "The one viable possibility is for the HSCP to try to retain the employees group (40 employees) to make sure service supply can proceed to our weak service customers over the weekend and within the instant future, this will even enable us to assist the Help employees who're susceptible to dropping employment."
The report goes on to say: "This example can be very distressing for workers and repair customers. Earlier engagement with the HSCP in relation to the monetary place and courtroom motion might have allowed for a deliberate interval of transition, while nonetheless disruptive, would have been much better for workers and repair customers. The late notification and non-payment of wages by the supplier has led to this crucial pressing response."
There was no response once we tried to contact Help Homecare (Scotland) Ltd. The agency's Fb web page has additionally been deleted over the weekend.
A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Well being and Social Care Partnership says that the instant focus stays on guaranteeing care is delivered for weak individuals.
The spokesperson added: “We're conscious of ongoing developments at Help Homecare (Scotland) Ltd and are presently proactively working with the corporate to safe continuity of look after our service customers.
“Whereas developments proceed to unfold, our instant focus is on guaranteeing care is delivered to weak purchasers. We're contacting service customers individually to advise of the state of affairs and to offer reassurance that we're working to make sure minimal disruption to their service.
“As well as, we're additionally proactively offering assist and recommendation to Help Homecare employees and have already begun this course of as a matter of urgency.
“We all know this can be a tough and upsetting time for service customers, their households and employees, nevertheless we're working as shortly as attainable to talk to all involved and discover one of the best ways ahead.”
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