NEW owners could be taking over care at 250 Southern Cross homes by the end of September.
The move comes after landlords within the company, which owns two homes in Hinckley, pulled out of restructuring talks and left the group, which has been facing a financial crisis for weeks.
By the end of October, the responsibility of all of the remaining 500 homes should be transferred back to landlords or to other new owners.
Southern Cross has also confirmed that plans released in June to make 3,000 members of staff redundant and change their contracts will not go ahead, good news for staff at the Hinckley Park and The Willows care homes in the town.
But despite the situation moving forward, the GMB union which represents staff at the healthcare company said it is “completely unacceptable” that other interested parties are not being involved in the decisions.
Justin Bowden, GMB national officer, said: “The current plan that only two parties, the landlords and the outgoing management as signatories to the proposed Business Purchase Agreement, will have a say in what should happen next at each home is completely unacceptable.
“Residents and their families and local councils and the NHS who pay the bills, the workforce who manage and run the homes and their union GMB, governments from across the UK and the Care Quality Commission have to be part of the decision making process.
“What happens next at Southern Cross must be subject to full public scrutiny and debate in council chambers and elected parliaments and assemblies across the UK.
It in not yet known which homes will go to which operators but all landlords are expected to make their decision on future operators by Monday. The Care Quality Commission will need help to register the 750 homes so local authorities will be responsible for the registration.