Cornwall Council has completed the sale of The Duchy’s largest old-age care provider to housing provider Sanctuary for an undisclosed sum.
Cornwall Care is an independent charity but the council had owned the freehold of 15 of its residential, nursing and dementia care homes.
The deal with not-for-profit Sanctuary comes after Cornwall Care mothballed three of its homes at the start of this year as part of a recovery plan, amid difficulties with maintaining staffing levels.
Cornwall Council’s cabinet member for adults and public health Andy Virr said: “Our key aspiration throughout this process has been to further secure Cornwall’s care market, ensuring that people are able to stay in their homes, as well as allowing more investment and improvement at these sites. We look forward to the development of these plans.
“This transfer has also ensured that all staff working for Cornwall Care are paid at least the Foundation Living Wage, recognising the value of the great work they do supporting Cornwall’s most vulnerable residents.”
As part of the agreement, Sanctuary and Cornwall Council said they had agreed to a long-term strategic partnership which would enable the two organisations to “work closely” together.
With the acquisition of Cornwall Care, Sanctuary now manages more than 100 care homes across England and Scotland under its Sanctuary Care brand, providing care for more than 5,500 residents. Current Care Quality Commission ratings in England state that more than 90% of its homes are rated as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.
The company said it would look to invest in technology and innovation at its new assets and provide staff with “wider employment opportunities and greater options for learning”.
Craig Moule, group chief executive of Sanctuary, said: “Our new strategic partnership has been forged to enable us to serve even more people in Cornwall, strengthening our links and continuing our work with Cornwall Council to ensure people in the county get high-quality care and support when they most need it.”
Sally Taylor, chair of Cornwall Care, added: “The issues affecting adult social care are well known and, as Cornwall’s largest care provider, we understand how important it is to safeguard future provision.
“That’s why we’re delighted to be joining Sanctuary and why we believe our staff, Cornwall as a whole and, most importantly, the many residents we support, should welcome this announcement.”
The transaction was facilitated by broker Christie & Co.
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