THERE could be fresh hope for dozens of workers at a major Plymouth-based care provider who fear redundancy.
Derriford-based Sunshine Care Limited, which cares for 400 vulnerable people, is in urgent talks with six other care companies in the hope it can save the jobs of 170 workers.
The company announced on Monday (Oct 26) that it had seen a crippling drop in turnover and was proposing to restructure the business and enter a Company Voluntary Arrangement.
Simon Hicks of Plymouth-based Lameys Business Recovery, which has been called in to restructure the firm, said he hoped the company's 170 care workers would find jobs with alternative care providers.
He said: "The company is aware that this is a very upsetting time for a number of people.
"What we don't want to do is disrupt any part of the service unnecessarily so we are working very closely with six alternative providers – three in Plymouth and three in Bristol – to make sure that everything is transferred across to those providers.
"The two main concerns are that the service users, who are generally vulnerable older people, are not affected in any way whatsoever and, regarding the employees who are providing that care, we are trying to work out something so that their financial hardship through this set of circumstances is as little as it possibly can be.
"We are hoping that all of the carers will have jobs with the six providers.
"The company has started a redundancy process which has put 28 jobs at risk but those are not frontline jobs."
Mr Hicks said he was working with both councils in Plymouth and Bristol and the six care providers "none stop throughout the day" to find a solution to the problem.
The company's staff are still yet to receive their pay for September and October and it is not known when they will next be paid.
This pay includes mileage payments with all visits undertaken in the staff's own cars.
Sunshine Care's website is still advertising job vacancies online, something Mr Hicks says will stay in place until the service is transferred to a different service provider.
He said: "We are working towards a smooth transfer of all of the jobs and the contracts so obviously everything has to stay in place operationally."