Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to prevent (1) the handback of contacts for, and (2) closures of, care homes providers, which put those receiving care at risk of eviction.

The commissioning of care and support services is a matter for local authorities, who are best placed to understand and plan for the care needs of their local populations. These authorities are used to manage entry and exit of care providers in the market and should have appropriate plans in place to minimise any disruption of services. They are in the best position to find a solution with the minimum possible disruption, while meeting people’s needs and choices. The Care Act 2014 places a temporary duty on local authorities to ensure that people continue to receive the services they need if their adult social care provider is no longer able to carry on delivering services.