CHEPSTOW’S Sedbury Park Care Home, which houses 61 vulnerable residents, predominately dementia sufferers, is to close.

Despite hopes that residents will be rehoused in other care homes within Monmouthshire, it has not been disclosed what plans are in place if spaces can not be found.

It is thought the home will close in December.

Four Seasons Health Care (FSHC) has been running the care home since 2011, but announced the closure of the facility due to financial difficulties, and the need for refurbishment.

Plans are for the care home to close in early December, or as soon as all residents have been transferred to new accommodation.

The home currently employs 76 members of staff.

According to a report by the Care Quality Commission released in August, two-thirds of the residents at Sedbury Park are living with dementia.

Family members were told of the decision to close the care home in a meeting on Tuesday 6th September. A concerned family member said: “The news is quite a blow. We do have regular family and resident meetings, but I thought something was strange as we don’t usually get a letter inviting us.

“It’s upsetting not mainly because of what will happen to residents, but the staff as well, as it’s such a family unit up there. My husband has been there since 2013, but there are people who have been there for years; everybody was crying. The staff are so upset as they are unsure about what will happen to the residents.

“We were told that the care home was losing money and needed to be renovated. Last December part of the ceiling in the ballroom came down, and so it was taped off in disrepair and a lot of windows need replacing. Perhaps if there was some kind of maintenance plan in place maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

In a inspection report by the Care Quality Commission published in on 12th August, the inspector noted that the upper floors in the main house were in a poor state of repair, and of the 105 bedrooms only 74 were usable. It was noted that plans were in place to repair the roof, and replace window frames and flooring.

John Kirk, regional managing director for Four Seasons Health Care said: “The proposal to cease operating the home has not been arrived at easily, but we think it is unavoidable based on a combination of factors. The home is operating at a loss and has been for a long while. While the premises is a beautiful 17th century Grade 2 listed building, it now requires refurbishment and interior modernisation to bring it to the standards we would expect for a modern care home.

“There have also been challenges in recruiting and maintaining the right level and skills mix of staff, which is linked to a national shortage of nurses.

"Our senior regional management team will carry out a detailed analysis, taking account of the likely longer term patterns of need for care home places in the area before taking a decision about whether we could make the home viable in the future. 

“The wellbeing of residents is our priority and we will work closely with Monmouthshire County Council’s Social Services team to ensure that the residents and their families are supported to find suitable alternative placements. We hope they will choose another of our homes, although it is entirely their choice. Sedbury Park will continue to provide care while we allow plenty of time for the most appropriate arrangements to be made for all residents and we will do everything we can to ensure there is no disruption to their care during the transition. We will also consider applications for staff to transfer to our other homes, subject to there being suitable vacancies."

The difficulty in rehousing the 61 vulnerable residents within Monmouthshire was highlighted by Head of Adult Services at Monmouthshire County Council Julie Boothroyd, who said: “We are working with the Sedbury Park Care Home and families to identify suitable alternatives for the people we support.

“We will look at existing vacancies in Monmouthshire, but also elsewhere as we suspect we may not have a sufficient supply of the right type of placement.

“A care home closure is a difficult time for all involved and we will be working closely with families and the residents at Sedbury Park to ensure the process runs as smoothly as possible.”