A 92-year-old pensioner in a care facility has been given just four weeks to find a new place to live after a shock closure announcement.
A 92-year-old pensioner in a care facility has been given just four weeks to find a new place to live after a shock closure announcement.
The family of Eunice O’Brien were left fuming after finding out she needed to move out of Sunnyside care home in Whitworth, also known as Welcome Independent Living. The family say this has caused them stress, worry and anger at having such little time to find replacement accommodation that fits Eunice’s needs, after the announcement last week.
Her granddaughter, Chloe Hodgkinson, said: “They said they were closing and reopening as something else. We told the staff and they were crying because they didn’t know.
“The manager doesn’t think he was in the wrong for what they are doing. We told him it is disgusting.
“My nan can’t really walk and this is a perfect location for her. But they have given us four weeks’ notice to find her somewhere else.”
Chloe went on to say how she felt the manager was dismissive of their concerns and just generally rude to them. She added that they have struggled to find Eunice alternative accommodation that fits her needs and worry what they will do if they don’t find her something in time.
In response, the care home said they are working to find her alternative accommodation and are willing to extend her stay slightly longer if necessary. The facility on Coupland Close was rumoured to be reopening as a palliative care specialist, but Welcome Independent Living bosses have rubbished those claims.
“She has been there a year,” Chloe added. “We have looked at about eight different places to put her but there are no spaces whatsoever.
“It’s about finding the right one for her needs as she doesn’t have great mobility. My nan is worried but we haven’t spoken to her as we don’t want her to be more concerned about it.
“We just don’t know what to do now.”
Before living in Sunnyside, Eunice was living at home with carers and her family coming in to assist her. The family made the decision to place her in a care home because the number of falls she had started to increase.
Mark Coup, director of Welcome Independent Living, said he was understanding of the family’s situation, but highlighted that the care home runs at a loss of around £70,000 a year. He said the six members of staff at risk of redundancy could have turned into 80 if they didn’t take this decision.
Mr Coup added that all the staff members had been informed of the decision and they hope to keep some of them on in a different capacity or at a different location.
“The facility is closing,” Mr Coup said. “We have some refurbishment planned and there is a day care centre to this side of Sunnyside.
“We were hoping to connect it to the day care and reopen a new service in that building we own either this year or next.
“An eight-bed care home just doesn’t work. It isn’t viable. It is losing £70,000 per year and we can’t continue to sustain that.
“We have served the appropriate length of notice period. But I appreciate it is a difficult situation.
“It is a difficult decision for families to make. However, most have now secured somewhere else to live.”
Sunnyside offers weekly fees of around £950 per week, Mr Coup added. He said this is much lower than similar facilities in the area, which is why it is no longer financially viable.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) were notified by the service that they planned to deregister from CQC voluntarily.
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