Lancashire County Council’s cabinet has decided to close a care home for older people it runs in Burnley.
This follows a 12 week consultation involving the residents, families, staff and partner organisations which occurred over the summer.
Councillors were told that Lower Ridge is becoming increasingly difficult and costly to run because of the poor structural state of the building.
The report also highlighted that whilst the home can accommodate 35 residents, in recent years occupancy has typically been only between 60% to 70% reflecting the choices of older people themselves to go to other care homes in the area.
County Councillor Graham Gooch, cabinet member for adult services, said: “This has been a tough decision to take, particularly as the service has been rated as good by the CQC and I know that residents have formed strong bonds and connections with one another and the staff.
“We also know moving can be unsettling, but our priority will be to support residents and their families when looking for alternative homes and throughout the process. Our staff will work very closely with residents and their families. Each resident will be allocated a social worker who will work with their families to find alternative residential or nursing care.
“The management and staff who work at Lower Ridge itself have also done a superb job over many years and we will look at redeployment options for those who want to continue to work for the county council.
“Looking to the future we are also keen to work with other organisations to develop Extra Care Housing to better meet the future needs and aspirations of older people in Burnley. We believe Extra Care Housing should be an important part of our future offer to older people across the county but we will ensure Burnley is at the forefront of such developments.”
Details of the closure will be provided to residents and their families as soon as possible.
For more information, visit the cabinet agenda page and search under agenda item 18:
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