Lifeways Group
Lifeways Group is a British social care company founded in 1995, which provides supported living services for adults with learning disabilities, autism, and brain injuries. It also offers tailored holidays, or “respite breaks”, for the people it supports.
The company was bought for £207m in 2012 by OMERS, which invests Ontario’s municipal employees’ retirement pot. At that time it had 6,300 staff.[1]
In April 2015 it acquired Autism Care UK which provides supported living, outreach and day services for people with autism in Lincolnshire, Lancashire, Milton Keynes, Northumberland, South Warwickshire and Yorkshire from the Maria Mallaband Care Group.[2]
In May 2015 the company bought its learning disability services group from Care UK.[3]
Lifeways hit controversy in recent years for bad quality of care due to some locations having an inadequate Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating, closure of some services by CQC and local councils for abuse and court cases involving staff where they have abused service users in their care.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]
In 2019, two care workers subjected a disabled woman to abuse at one of their Autism Care facilities in Northumberland.[16][17] In 2022, a support worker was dismissed from his job after using cocaine with a blind service user.
In 2023, a deputy manager was charged with stealing £34,000 from a 70-year-old woman with learning difficulties who was under their care.[18][19]
References[edit]
- ^ "Omers acquires UK care group Lifeways". Financial Times. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
- ^ "Lifeways buys Autism Care UK". HealthInvestor. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
- ^ "Mears Group acquires Care UK's domiciliary care service for £11.3m". HealthInvestor. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
- ^ "CQC wins bid to block 'institutional' learning disabilities care home". Nursing Times. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "'Unsafe' Delphine Court adult care home closed". BBC News. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "Merchants House closed down because of building concerns". Wirral Globe. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "Lifeways fined £460,000 for failing to protect residents". LaingBuisson. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "'Inadequate' care service disputes special measures rating by inspectors". BirminghamLive. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "Care service which supports people in Bradford 'inadequate'". Telegraph & Argus. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "'Inadequate' Northumberland care service for people with autism in special measures amid human rights fears". ChronicleLive. 20 October 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "South London care home 'in crisis' where staff member 'worked 300 hours in a month'". MyLondon. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "Staff at 'inadequate' Wallington care home 'demoralised' and 'working 300 hours a month'". SurreyLive. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "Lifeways Community Care (Halifax) - Quality Care Commission". Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "West Bromwich care service rated inadequate and placed in special measures by CQC - Quality Care Commission". Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "Lifeways Community Care (Halifax) - Halifax - Care Sourcer". Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "Care home disgrace: This mean pair subjected severely disabled woman to sickening harassment". Chroniclelive.co.uk. 11 September 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "Alexandra Park | Lifeways". Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "Face of crying carer who stole £34k to spend at McDonald's, Primark and Haven". BirminghamLive. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "Crying carer stole £34,000 from vulnerable woman and bought McDonald's and holidays". Mirror.co.uk. 16 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.