Care home's closure blamed on lack of funding

A care home housing nine residents will be closing next month due to a lack of funding, its owner has confirmed.

The Priory Group said Collinson Court in Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent, would be shutting its doors permanently in March.

The company and residents' families have blamed Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire County Council for not providing enough funding to cover the care home's costs.

Both authorities said they were working to ensure the care home's residents were safely relocated.

A spokesperson for Collinson Court said: "Closing a care home is not something any provider wants to do but, in the case of Collinson Court, the service is simply not sustainable under current funding arrangements.

"As has been the case with multiple care home closures across Staffordshire in recent years, funding provided to us by the local authority did not match the costs of providing the specialist care required, and the service has been running at a significant deficit."

The spokesperson said that despite working with the councils, which both provide funding for residents, a resolution had not been found.

In a statement, a number of residents' families said it was a "complex situation" due to some being funded by one council and some by the other.

"Since December, parents and families have been endeavouring to challenge the local authority and determine why Collinson Court is no longer financially viable," they added.

"We steadfastly believe that this is due to a refusal by the local authority to build in annual uplifts of fees."

A Stoke-on-Trent City Council spokesperson said it was working closely with the care home and families to "ensure the smooth and safe relocation" of residents to new homes that meet their needs.

"At all stages, the ongoing care and wellbeing of the residents is our absolute priority," they said.

Councillor Jeremy Pert, cabinet member for health and care at Staffordshire County Council, said the authority's aim was to secure the ongoing care of the residents.

"Our social work teams will be working with individuals and their families to ensure that residents can be moved safely to other providers, so their needs can continue to be met," he added.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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