Saved
Residents and staff at a Boughton care home that was earmarked for closure have been given a reprieve.
It follows months of campaigning to save Bishops Court on Tuxford Road.
The home was one of eight earmarked for closure by Nottinghamshire County Council in a shake-up of services.
But on Tuesday the council announced it was recommending Bishops Court stays open.
The cabinet member for adult services and health, Mr Alan Rhodes, said it would stay open because there was no suitable alternative, and because of a lack of public transport for relatives visiting moved residents.
A final decision will be made at a council meeting on Thursday.
Mrs Doreen Stafford (84) is originally from Farnsfield but has lived at Bishops Court for more than five years.
She said: “I am wonderfully happy here. It is a home from home and we are treated well and respectfully by the staff.
“The campaigners have been fantastic for us and we are very grateful to them.”
Mrs Dorothy Meakin (90) moved to the home 21/2 years ago after suffering a serious stroke.
She said her daughter-in-law, Mrs Madeleine Meakin, had fought tirelessly to keep the home open and was very grateful to her.
“She has worked very hard. You could not beat this place,” said Mrs Barbara Meakin.
The council’s ruling Labour group decided on the reprieve after listening to representations during the public consultation.
This included an 8,000-name petition against the closure collected by the Bishops Court Action Group, which also staged protests outside County Hall before a meeting.
The action group’s chairman, Mr Chris Butcher of Dove Croft, Ollerton, said the decision was good news for the home’s residents, but said they would not be celebrating until it was confirmed next week.
He said: “It is hard to pin-point exactly what swayed them — it could have just been common sense.
“I have to say I have some admiration for the council considering what they proposed in the initial report.
“There were options and they got the reaction those options should have attracted.
“Our protests have made the council look at this in a different light. We are more than relieved.
“The residents’ relatives have formed a little community and this has brought everyone together.
“The council has had the bottle to stand up against the Government policy to not get rid of their social responsibility.
“If I am proud of anything in this country, it is that we have a social conscience and look after our old people, rather than kicking them into the gutter.”
He said he felt sorry for the people connected with the homes which will close but said protests for the other homes did not seem to be as strong as theirs.
The council planned to replace Bishops Court and the other closed homes with extra care facilities, a modern form of sheltered housing where people live in a self-contained house or flat, but have access to 24-hour support.
Bishops Court was one of three homes saved in Tuesday’s announcement.
Senior councillors and officers announced on Wednesday that it would be maintained to a high standard as part of an extra £800,000 a year to be spent on care for older people, although there are no plans to increase the size of rooms to install ensuite bathroom facilities.
The council’s deputy leader, Mr Mick Storey, said when they told staff, residents and their families about their new proposals on Tuesday afternoon, it was met by a round of applause.
He said: “It was the first time I can remember a council decision receiving that sort of reaction.
“They acknowledge that this was real consultation. This shows we have listened.”
The council’s strategic director for adult social care and health, Mr David Pearson, said: “Throughout the process the staff have been professional and dignified at all times, and remained committed, even though their jobs were on the line.
“It is gratifying to hear about the quality of the staff working for the council.”
There are currently 682 county council residential beds in its care homes.
The proposals would see this reduced to 568.
An additional 160 extra care units with county council nomination rights will be provided as part of a £19m programme during the next five years.
