Proposed closure of Holcroft House

Cabinet Members have agreed to the proposal to close the Holcroft House care home at today’s (19 September) Cabinet Meeting

A statutory Fire Risk Assessment, undertaken in December 2021, identified a number of fire safety issues with the building. Further assessments identified additional fire safety issues and the presence of asbestos which would require significant work. A phased approach to completion of the works was originally proposed in order for residents to remain living at Holcroft and moving rooms to accommodate the work. However, due to the level of impact the disruption would cause for residents, it is recommended that it is in the best interests of the residents to be relocated to alternative accommodation and the property closed as a care home.

Our aim is to minimise the disruption for our residents as much as possible by relocating them once, into a fit for purpose and safe home. This will be a carefully managed, permanent move due to the health risks associated with moving people with dementia.

All of the options available have been carefully explored, from moving residents around within the home while renovation work was carried out, to potentially moving residents out and back in again on a short term basis.

Ongoing building management and a decision on the future of the site will be considered by the Council in due course. Full details that were presented to Cabinet are available in the Agenda papers.

Councillor Lorna Fielker, Deputy Leader of the Council, and Cabinet Member for Adults, Housing and Health said: "Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to find a way of keeping residents in Holcroft House during the required fire safety works without causing a significant risk to their health and wellbeing. It is therefore with a heavy heart that we have taken the decision to close the home and move the residents to new permanent accommodation. This has been an extremely difficult decision to make as the home has been a place of high-quality care and support for our most vulnerable residents for many years. I would like to put on record my heartfelt thanks to the wonderful staff at the home who have helped make Holcroft House such a much-loved place and who we will now support to find new jobs in the council."