New care provider offers 'consistency' amid inquiry

A care service being transferred to a new provider in the wake of a financial inquiry will ensure "real consistency" to residents, its chief executive said.

Camphill Milton Keynes Communities, a charity supporting adults with learning disabilities, exchanged contracts with Northamptonshire-based William Blake House last week.

In February, the Charity Commission opened a "regulatory compliance" case into William Blake House due to "serious concerns around possible financial mismanagement", and in March it announced a statutory inquiry.

Tim Davies, CEO of Camphill Milton Keynes Communities, said it would have "the people we care for at the heart of our thinking".

William Blake House has been approached for comment, but Camphill Milton Keynes Communities said the transfer was expected to conclude "within the next couple of months".

The new operator added that it would "ensure continuity of care and daily life", with "no interruption to residents' support, routines or living arrangements".

Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton, Davies said: "I don't know about what the issues were with the previous entity and that's very difficult for me to comment on.

"Families are really important... there's a huge issue of trust. That the person providing support for your loved one is doing the right thing, and had their best interest at heart.

"We're a charity of long history of providing that support for individuals who sometimes struggle to express their needs if they weren't being well looked after.

"What makes us more accountable is having good communication with those families and that people can ask difficult questions if they're unhappy and feel that they're going to be listened to rather than dismissed or ignored."

Davies said the transfer of the care service required "lots of hoops for us to jump through, and quite rightly so", but added he was "looking forward to a long journey ahead".

The announcement of the transfer came as the Charity Commission also opened investigations into two other Northamptonshire-based charities that shared trustees with William Blake House, based in Blakesley.

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