Its sounds like a common situation when national services farm out organisational work to the private sector. The national service has a budget which doesn't really cater for the private company having directors and profit margins. When, in this case, healthcare budgets are slashed, its the contractors that get the chop or are told to re-organise. Its a convenient place to be employed when things are good, but very shaky ground when the economy falls apart.

You could probably set a small business up with 5 of your fellow re-arranged colleagues and go back to the hospital/carehome, and hire yourselves back to them for more than you were paid before. You could undercut your old company but have fewer overheads needing to be paid.