BUPA are pulling out of their two care homes in Machynlleth and Llanidloes – forcing the county council to urgently look at options for the future.

The two Powys Council-owned homes – Cartref Dyfi in Machynlleth and Maes-y-Wennol in Llanidloes – are amongst 12 council homes run by BUPA, but the authority is now drawing up a range of options for the future of the homes after BUPA said it would not renew the current contract which expires in May next year.

That has left the council considering a range of options for the future of the homes, with one of the suggestions being that the council takes back control of them.

A report by Dylan Owen, head of transformation for adult services, said BUPA’s decision to not renew the care home contract when it expires in May meant the council needed to find alternative arrangements which could include the council taking the homes back in-house, forming a local authority separate company to run them or trying to agree a contract with another private provider.

The council will release a prior indicative notice to ask companies if they are interested in taking over the care homes, while work will also look into options of the council taking control of the homes or developing a local authority trading company or other body that would run the homes on the behalf of the council.

Mr Owen said: “The decision on how the council’s own care home portfolio should be managed in the future will have a long-lasting impact and influence on the nature of the Powys care home market.”

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