What happens when a home care provider changes owner?
At homecare.co.uk, our default approach is that when a home care provider changes ownership, the profile’s content, reviews, and relevant awards will continue under the new owners.
This is because there is generally continuity in the underlying service. In most cases, the service continues in the same area, with continuity of staff, clients, and day-to-day care.
We therefore believe it is beneficial for care seekers to continue to have access to the profile’s content, reviews, and relevant awards.
Where content or reviews refer to a previous owner’s name, we may anonymise those references where appropriate.
This approach also applies to reviews submitted after the ownership change, where the review relates to care provided before the change. We assess these reviews using the same continuity and fairness criteria, rather than the date the review was submitted.
What happens when a home care service splits into two or more registered services?
Where a home care service or location splits into two or more separately registered services, reviews and any relevant awards will usually remain with the original registered location.
This is because the reviews relate to the care provided by that service during the period in which they were submitted.
A new profile will usually be created for each additional location, allowing it to build its own review history and reputation based on the care it provides.
However, where an additional location obtains its own registration from the relevant regulatory authority within a defined period of opening, we may consider transferring relevant reviews to its new profile. Only reviews submitted on or after the effective date of the new location’s registration, and which clearly relate to the care provided by that location, will be eligible for consideration. Reviews submitted before the new location’s registration date will remain with the original registered location.
Each request will be assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure that the reviews remain a fair and accurate representation of the service being reviewed.
What happens when two home care providers merge?
When two home care locations or services merge, our default policy is that the profiles may be merged, together with their reviews and relevant awards.
This is because the merged service generally has continuity of the underlying service with continuity of staff, clients, and the ongoing delivery of care.
Where content or reviews refer to another service or trading name, we may anonymise those references where appropriate.
What happens to awards?
Individual awards
Where the service continues at the same home care provider and the profile’s reviews remain with the profile, individual awards will also remain with that profile.
Group awards
Where one home care group acquires another, group-level awards associated with the acquired group will not transfer to the acquiring group.
What happens to the subscription?
When a home care provider changes ownership, the subscription for that care provider ends.
A new subscription would need to be arranged separately if required.