15 older people will have to move as cabinet approves closure of Towcester care home

A Towcester care home will close for good, meaning 15 older people will have to move.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has approved the ‘safe closure programme’ of Ridgway House in Swinneyford Road, Towcester at a cabinet meeting, held at the council chamber in Towcester, on Tuesday (January 16).

Following a public consultation, the matter was discusses at length at the cabinet meeting, which was told that the building cannot be used due to “health and safety issues” and “insufficient facilities”, including no en-suites in any of the rooms.

Upgrades to the home to maintain basic standards would cost £1 million over the next ten years, according to WNC.

However, residents at the care home said they felt comfortable and families raised issues about their relatives having to move. One granddaughter spoke out prior to the meeting to say her nan “just wants to die” at the care home. Andrea Leadsom, MP for the area, also launched a petition against the closure.

Following discussion, councillors came to the decision to approve the recommended ‘safe closure programme’. A decision that Councillor Matt Golby, cabinet member for adult social care, said was “not taken lightly”.

A council statement on its website says the ‘safe closure programme’ will commence with “immediate effect” and will “support residents to move to alternative residential care accommodation within the area”.

According to Cllr Golby, there are 13 care homes within five miles of Ridgway House, where 56 beds are currently vacant.

The reasons given for the decision include preventing the care home from becoming “unsustainable and unsafe to the point that there is risk to the wellbeing of the care homes residents”, as well as ensuring residents receive a “high quality of care in a setting that is suitable and meets both their needs and the needs of future residents”. Ensuring the council is able to deliver “best use of its available adult social care budgets in meeting its statutory duties” was also stated as a reason.

The statement adds that there will be a formal consultation with affected staff members on their “redeployment into other council services”.

There are currently five council-run care homes across West Northamptonshire with a total of 235 bed places.