Following the collapse of Southern Cross, the UK’s biggest care home group, other care homes report they are seeing an increase in applications from Southern Cross staff.

Earlier this month, Southern Cross announced an “orderly closure” after its 80 landlords took back their 752 care homes after the group ran into financial difficulties.

As Recruiter went to press, reports suggested that just under 500 of Southern Cross’s homes would be taken over by their landlords. However, the remaining 250 homes had still to find a new operator.

Lesley Flory, recruitment director at Barchester Healthcare, which has 200 care homes, told Recruiter: “Over the past few weeks we have noticed an increase in applications from Southern Cross employees, particularly in nursing and mid-management.”

Richard Preston, HR manager at Hallmark Care Homes, which owns 15 homes, told Recruiter the market for care home staff was “more buoyant with a lot of people from Southern Cross” entering the market.

Preston said “a high percentage” of a recent doubling of enquiries on its website had been due to “more direct interest from Southern Cross staff”.

Howard Green, owner of Green Care Management told Recruiter that many Southern Cross staff would “be able to walk into new positions” with other employers in the sector. “Southern Cross is seen as a good employer and provides good training, so anyone with Southern Cross on their CV, that will stand them in good stead.”

Ian Munro, chief executive of Castlerock Recruitment Group, told Recruiter that he had seen “a small movement” of temporary agency staff from Southern Cross to other care homes.

A spokesperson for Southern Cross told Recruiter that it wasn’t possible to provide a response.