Contract awarded in 2013 by Powys CC to Alpha Home Care Support Services Ltd, and its subsequent collapse and liquidation in 2015.
Dear Powys County Council,
Alpha Care submitted a tender to Powys CC to provide domiciliary care services on 17th July 2013 and then was awarded a contract by Powys CC, 18th September, 2013. The named “Authorised Officer” Commissioning and Contracts for this and other tenders was Mr Paul Smith. Mr Smith then left Powys CC to work for two agencies awarded council contracts to provide domiciliary care in Powys and then to Alpha Care. Alpha Care went into liquidation on 29th April, 2015, owing over £701,114.68 to creditors. One of these creditors was another domiciliary agency in Powys called Tender Loving Care Agency who were owed £94,326.24.
I would be grateful if you could provide me with answers to the following questions:
1. Please provide the date at which Powys CC became aware that Alpha Care was experiencing financial difficulties, and also the date when it was informed that Alpha Care was unable to provide home support services and therefore unable to pay its creditors.
2. Please provide the date at which Powys CC exercise a duty of care by informing Tender Loving Care Agency (as a sub-contractor for the Alpha Care contract) that Alpha Care would be unable to meet its financial obligations to TLC.
3. Bearing in mind Paul Smith’s key role in the award of the contract to Alpha Care by Powys CC and then subsequent employment with Alpha Care, did Powys CC scrutinise and undertake an investigation into the part and behaviours displayed by Paul Smith during the award of the contract and monitoring of Alpha Care, and also over his subsequent move to this agency. If so, please provide minutes, notes of any meetings held.
4. Was Powys CC a creditor of Alpha Care? If so, please provide the amount owed, the settlement figure and the date paid.
Yours faithfully,
Glady Perks (Mrs)
Cyfarwyddwr Strategol: Rheoli Gwybodaeth/
Adnoddau
Information Compliance
Strategic Director: Resources
Neuadd Y Sir / County Hall
David Powell
Spa Road East
Llandrindod Wells
Powys LD1 5LG
If calling please ask for / Os yn galw
gofynnwch am
Tel / Ffôn: 01597 82 7543
Fax / Ffacs: 01597 82 6215
Email/Llythyru electronig:
[1][Powys County Council request email]
Our ref / Ein cyf: F2018-0521
Date / Dyddiad: 02/01/18
Request Accepted
FREEDOM of INFORMATION ACT 2000
Reference No: F2018/0521
Dear Ms Perks
Thank you for your request for information, received at this office on
21/05/2018, in which you requested details of the following:
Alpha Care
The above is a summary of your request. The full details of the
information sought is provided to the officer to whom the request is
tasked.
Your request will now be considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act, subject
to the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third
party. In some circumstances Powys County Council may be unable to achieve
this deadline. If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised
time-scale at the earliest opportunity.
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Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to
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The due date for responding to this request for information is 19/06/2018.
Should you need to discuss this further please contact the Information
Compliance Team on 01597 827543.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Powys County Council.
Yours sincerely,
Carl Bryden
Information Compliance Officer
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References
Visible links
1. mailto:[Powys County Council request email]
Cyfarwyddwr Strategol: Rheoli Gwybodaeth/
Adnoddau
Information Compliance
Strategic Director: Resources
Neuadd Y Sir / County Hall
David Powell
Spa Road East
Llandrindod Wells
Powys LD1 5LG
If calling please ask for / Os yn galw
gofynnwch am
Tel / Ffôn: 01597 82 7543
Fax / Ffacs: 01597 82 6215
Email/Llythyru electronig:
[1][Powys County Council request email]
Our ref / Ein cyf: F2018-0521
Date / Dyddiad: 11/06/2018
Reference No: F2018-0521
Dear MS Perks,
Thank you for your request for information dated 21/05/2018 concerning
Alpha Care.
This is to inform you that your request has been considered and I can
provide the following response:
The Request:
Alpha Care submitted a tender to Powys CC to provide domiciliary care
services on 17th July 2013 and then was awarded a contract by Powys CC,
18th September, 2013. The named “Authorised Officer” Commissioning and
Contracts for this and other tenders was Mr Paul Smith. Mr Smith then left
Powys CC to work for two agencies awarded council contracts to provide
domiciliary care in Powys and then to Alpha Care. Alpha Care went into
liquidation on 29th April, 2015, owing over £701,114.68 to creditors. One
of these creditors was another domiciliary agency in Powys called Tender
Loving Care Agency who were owed £94,326.24.
I would be grateful if you could provide me with answers to the following
questions:
1. Please provide the date at which Powys CC became aware that
Alpha Care was experiencing financial difficulties, and also the date when
it was informed that Alpha Care was unable to provide home support
services and therefore unable to pay its creditors.
2. Please provide the date at which Powys CC exercise a duty of
care by informing Tender Loving Care Agency (as a sub-contractor for the
Alpha Care contract) that Alpha Care would be unable to meet its financial
obligations to TLC.
3. Bearing in mind Paul Smith’s key role in the award of the
contract to Alpha Care by Powys CC and then subsequent employment with
Alpha Care, did Powys CC scrutinise and undertake an investigation into
the part and behaviours displayed by Paul Smith during the award of the
contract and monitoring of Alpha Care, and also over his subsequent move
to this agency. If so, please provide minutes, notes of any meetings held.
4. Was Powys CC a creditor of Alpha Care? If so, please provide
the amount owed, the settlement figure and the date paid.
The Response:
1. Powys County Council had initial concerns in November 2014. However
the Council were not informed that Alpha Home Care Support Services
Limited was ‘unable to provide home support services and therefore unable
to pay its creditors’.
2. Powys County Council hold no recorded information. However, the
Council was not informed by Alpha Home Care Support Services Limited that
they would be unable to meet their financial obligations to TLC. We do
not accept that we owe a duty of care to Tender Loving Care Agency as
alleged in the request.
3. Powys County Council hold no recorded information.
4. Powys County Council was not a creditor of Alpha Home Care Support
Services Ltd.
We believe that this request is now complete and shall be closed
immediately. Should any further information be requested regarding this
topic, a separate request will need to be submitted.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Powys County Council.
Yours sincerely,
Information Compliance Team
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[4]www.ico.org.uk
References
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1. mailto:[Powys County Council request email]
2. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advice/crown-copy...
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.ico.org.uk/
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