'Devastating blow' as council fail to find buyer for care homes

RESIDENTS of eight care homes across Derbyshire have been told they will need to find new homes after a planned sale fell through.

- By SOPHIE FAGONE BUSCIMESE

Derbyshire County Council has spent months negotiating with a provider to take over the running of the residential homes as a going concern, but has ultimately decided the sale cannot be progressed further.

The county council's cabinet member for adult care, Councillor Joss Barnes, said he was “incredibly sorry” the sale hadn’t worked out.

“T know this will be extremely upsetting news for all our residents and their families, as well as our hardworking care colleagues, especially coming at this time of year in the run-up to Christmas,” he added.

“We have done absolutely everything to progress the sale, but in the end it wasn't possible. Due to commercial sensitivities, we're not able to give any more details regarding negotiations.”

The former Conservative-controlled council controversially agreed to sell the eight care homes while managing a multi-million pound budget deficit after it argued a need to refocus adult care services by supporting more dementia patients and helping more people to stay at home due to what it claimed was a decline in demand for residential care.

The new Reform UK administration echoed a similar strategy when it took control in May 2024, but the council confirmed last Monday that the planned sale had collapsed and it will now be shutting the homes after its failed attempt to sell them to a private provider.

Unison East Midlands regional organiser Dave Ratchford said: “This is a devastating blow for residents, families and staff. It should never have come to this.

“We are urging the leader of the council, Alan Graves, to intervene and stop these closures before irreversible damage is done. There is still time to rethink this approach and protect residents who rely on stable, familiar care and staff who have dedicated their working lives to supporting them.”