Northamptonshire village care home to close as redevelopment 'not viable'

A failing Northants care home will be closed down after redevelopment was ruled to be unviable due to the extent of the work needed.

West Northamptonshire Council will close down Boniface House in Brixworth – with the 13 remaining residents moved to other care homes in the county.

The facility has been under scrutiny from the authority due to its failing facilities not being able to serve the complex needs of its residents. Just last year, the residential home suffered an internal roof leak and received an overall ‘requires improvement’ rating from the Quality Care Commission.

Despite a public consultation on the closure which showed that 82 per cent of the respondents were in favour of redevelopment, Cllr Matt Golby told the cabinet that the option of redevelopment was “not viable due to the extent of work” and the need to move residents during the refurbishment to only “move them back in later”.

Cllr Golby, cabinet member for adult care and wellbeing, told a cabinet meeting this week: “We have exhausted all options and the proposal to close this care home has not been easy to make. I understand that this proposal may cause concern and worry for residents, relatives, and our staff and we will work with them closely through the closure process.”

Problems with the home include reduced accessibility for wheelchairs and hoists, narrow door frames that beds are not able to fit through, and a total lack of en-suite facilities, raising the issue of resident privacy.

The residential home, which was built more than 40 years ago, is currently housing 13 occupants who will be moved to other council-run homes, of which there are only four across the West Northants area.

The closest of these homes is the Turn Furlong Specialist Care Centre in Kingsthorpe.

Deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, Cllr Jonathan Harris, reflected on the “huge upheaval” that it will cause to the affected families and his hopes that “careful consideration is given to where those residents are relocated”.

Neil Cox, the assistant director of wellbeing services, said the council “completely acknowledge the challenges and potential disruption”, but insisted that they have a “good open dialogue with the people affected” and will “work closely with them around what the right option is for their loved ones”.