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It's a story we've been following longer than most.

Today it seems the final chapter is being written in the saga of Darlington based care homes provider .

We revealed a terrible lack of care of some elderly residents on Inside Out, only to be inundated with calls and emails from people who told similar tales of inadequacies in the care of their relatives in Southern Cross homes.

We were even contacted by worried members of staff.

We put it to the company that their squeezed financial position was part of the problem. Something it denied.

Now Southern Cross' cash problems have finally led to its demise. It has been keen to assure those 31,000 residents in its care that they needn't worry and that new providers will come in to run the homes.

Christopher Fisher, the chairman of the group came on the radio this morning to offer that guarantee. Worried relatives must be wanting to see the promise of continuity of care in writing. As I write this morning (08:50 BST, Monday 11 July 2011) the Southern Cross website has absolutely no mention of the company's demise.

Things must have moved as quickly as the closure of the News of the World.

A newspaper title going under may be big news - but the future care of thousands of vulnerable elderly citizens is surely the biggest story of the moment.