A major supplier of healthcare equipment for those who are being discharged from the hospital or require support in their homes are on the verge of bust.
NRS Healthcare, which works with about 40 councils in NHS and England and North Ireland, is expected to run out of cash by the end of the week, BBC understands.
In a letter, the government was sent to the government in early July and seen by the BBC, the councils warned of “a disastrous effect” and “risk to life” and asked for a short -term loan for NRS, while new arrangements were laid.
It is believed that no loans were offered, but most of the councils have now managed to get plans to run services.
Council leaders and owners of social services have confirmed that they are “searching for all options to maintain services, including alternative providers and local solutions”.
“We are committed to ensuring that services remain as reliable as possible, especially for people with the highest level requirements during this period of uncertainty,” the local government association said, which represents the councils in England, in a joint statement with the Director Association of Adult Social Services.
The NRS, which employs around 1,500 people in the UK and located in the Lecesterresires, find and supplies a wide range of equipment ranging from wheelchair and wave to hospital beds and pendants that are monitor falls. It also maintains and repairs tools.
In a letter sent to the Health and Social Care Department (DHSC) on July 4, the councils in Southeast England warned that the firm’s expected failure would mean that the local authorities would be unable to fulfill their legal duties to provide significant support in the community.
The councils said that it would be impossible to “discharge patients safely from the hospital”.
The letter states that NRS, which is owned by private equity, has contracts to supply about 40% of the healthcare equipment provided in the community in England.
Many of its services are in the south -east of England, especially in London. Local authorities of the region estimates that 60-70% of the order made is to support someone who is being discharged from the hospital and the majority is required for the same day or the next day’s requests.
The company’s accounts say that it took up an expensive cyber attack last year and is also understood that he was losing money on some of his contracts with the council.
Like other firms, it must have increased the impact of inflation and rising costs, including the employer’s national insurance.
In a statement on Wednesday, NRS Healthcare stated that the firm was working hard for the last few months to “detect all possible options for moving around business and protect services and to detect all possible options to protect communities that trust them”.
“We have already begun to transfer all services to other providers and are implementing schemes with local authorities to preserve service provisions and jobs,” said a spokesman.
