Some 3,350 of the home helps whose jobs were under threat due to the financial problems facing the massive TSN home nursing organisation are to start working for other companies.

TSN applied for court protection from creditors last December after a court refused to allow it to cut staff salaries by up to 30%.

Now the official receiver says a deal has been reached in 99 of the 137 local authority areas where TSN operated about transferring staff to new employers. Others are also expected to follow, saving more jobs and patient services.

Junior health minister Martin van Rijn is planning to meet home nursing sector representatives shortly in an effort to reach a new deal on ensuring better pay protection for workers.

Responsibility for home helps has been transferred from national to local government and the budget has been slashed by 40%, putting pressure on wages. The home help organisations say councils should stop going for the very cheapest options, because the pay and working conditions for staff are getting worse.