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Press release

The King's Fund responds to the announcement that Four Seasons Health Care has gone in to administration

Commenting on the announcement that one of Britain’s largest care home groups, Four Seasons Health Care, has gone into administration, Simon Bottery, Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund, said:

‘Today’s announcement will be worrying for the 17,000 Four Seasons residents and their families, though it is important to recognise there is no immediate threat to the operation of Four Seasons’ care homes.

‘The problems facing Four Seasons show the extreme pressure that the social care system in England is under. Despite recent moves to shore up social care providers, years of chronic underfunding have left services at crisis point. As the Competition and Markets Authority has identified, many care homes that rely on publicly funded residents are now financially unsustainable.

‘It is not just care homes but the whole social care system which desperately needs reform. Successive administrations have promised to overhaul the system, yet two years after the government committed to publishing a social care Green Paper it is yet to see the light of day.’

Notes to editors

Recent analysis conducted by The King’s Fund shows there has been a 2 percent rise in new requests for adult social care since 2015/16, reaching 1.84 million requests in 2017/18. However, nearly 13,000 fewer people are receiving support.

For more information or to request an interview with Simon Bottery please contact The King’s Fund press office on 0207 307 2585/2583 (07584 146 035 if calling out of hours).

The King's Fund is an independent charity working to improve health and care in England. We help to shape policy and practice through research and analysis; develop individuals, teams and organisations; promote understanding of the health and social care system; and bring people together to learn, share knowledge and debate. Our vision is that the best possible health and care is available to all.