CARE home landlords in the region have missed the deadline to appoint new operators to take over from troubled provider Southern Cross.

Union GMB said it was concerned that the first 28 landlords who were due to appoint new operators by the start of August have failed to do so, meaning they are likely to miss the transfer deadline of October.

These include Kingswood Care Home and Wickwar care Home, which are both currently Southern Cross run.

Paul Maloney, GMB senior regional officer, said: "When will the uncertainty for residents and staff be brought to an end?

"If the landlords in the South West don’t pull their fingers out, or government doesn’t take a hand, the deadline for the transfer of these operations will not be met and the worry and uncertainty for residents, their families and the staff will not be lifted. "It is also high time the landlords and their chosen operators got round the table with the GMB and talked about the future of these homes."

Southern Cross operates around 750 homes across the country with around 31,000 elderly and vulnerable residents and employing 42,500 staff.

The company got into financial difficulty at the start of the year and attempted to negotiate with their landlords over rent. However all the landlords decided to either run the homes themselves or find new providers.

A Southern Cross spokeswoman said the company could not discuss the transfer procedures while confidential negotiations with potential new operators were under way.