Responding to the news that Allied Healthcare will file from protection from creditors, Liberal Democrat former Health Minister Norman Lamb, said:

“The implications of this potential corporate failure could be really serious for those who depend on the company for home care.

“The financial difficulty that Allied Healthcare faces is symptomatic of a sector in serious trouble. Across the country providers have been withdrawing from the provision of local authority commissioned care and focusing instead on the private market. We face the prospect of those with money getting good care and those without, suffering.

“It seems everyone except the Government recognises a system under impossible strain. This reinforces the need for a comprehensive, long term settlement for the NHS and social care – and, to achieve that, the Government has to overcome its reticence to working with other parties so that we can build a consensus. We cannot tolerate vulnerable people suffering as a result of the Government’s inertia and complacency.”