Vulnerable and elderly residents of an Ilkley care home have been given 28 days to find alternative accommodation.

Letters have been sent out to relatives of people living in Red Gables in Parish Ghyll Drive, Ilkley, giving them notice the home is changing from a nursing home to a residential home.

It means all residents requiring nursing care will have to move out.

People living in the home, which is registered to accommodate up to 32 people and specialises in the care of dementia, are being assessed by health workers to see who will have to go.

It follows an unannounced inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in December which found the service was failing to meet national standards in a number of areas.

Inspectors judged care and treatment was not planned and delivered in a way that ensured people’s safety, record keeping was inadequate, there were not enough qualified and experienced staff to meet the needs of residents and the home was heavily reliant on agency staff.

One agency staff member described working at the home as “chaotic”, the report noted.

The home was further inspected by the CQC in February and a further report is due to be published, however, in the meantime the owners of Red Gables have taken the decision to end nursing care.

Pam Denman, operations manager at Red Gable, said: “As part of our strategic review we have decided to reposition Red Gables as a service to care for residential clients with dementia.

“We are working very closely with the local authority to arrange suitable alternative placements for our clients if this becomes necessary.”

A Bradford Council spokesman said: “CQC has notified the Council that it has been made aware of the decision by Red Gables care home to change its business from nursing care to residential care for older people.

“Nursing staff are working with the home to ensure comprehensive reviews are undertaken and suitable alternative placements are sought.

“We know this can be a very traumatic time for those affected by the move and every effort is being made to keep any upset to a minimum.”

The daughter of a 90-year-old resident, who has severe dementia, said: “I am disgusted about the way my mother has been treated and the way the staff have been treated.”

A member of staff, who did not want to be named, said: “It is absolutely dreadful what is going on. What I have seen is heart-breaking.”

Queensland Care, the company which owns Red Gables, also own Homecroft in Victoria Avenue, Ilkley, and The Pines Nursing Home in Harrogate, and provides home care.