DOZENS of elderly residents have been left needing to find somewhere else to live after not-for-profit provider Anchor announced it will no longer offer nursing care at two of its Bradford care homes.

Springfield in Buttershaw and Ashcroft in Undercliffe will not be closing down, but will move to offer residential care only - rather than the higher level of nursing care required by more vulnerable residents.

Anchor has confirmed that a total of 58 residents will be affected across the two homes - 42 people at Springfield and 16 at Ashcroft.

Townend Close in Keighley, as well as five additional Anchor homes in the wider district, at Hipperholme, Guiseley, Otley and Skipton, will not be affected, as they do not provide nursing care.

Nursing staff could also lose their jobs when the changes are implemented in the coming month.

Concerned relatives contacted the Telegraph & Argus to express their shock at the sudden axing of nursing places.

Glenn Burton, whose father-in-law 93-year-old Peter Lynch has been a nursing care resident at Springfield for two years, said: "In short at Springfield 42 people have to find new homes in an area that is already short of nursing care facilities."

He added: "The nature of nursing care home is that the residents are often only there for a limited time, as nature takes its course. When it was put to Anchor that it would be better for the residents to allow them to stay until they passed on and then not repopulate the rooms with persons needing nursing care, this idea was dismissed."

Trish Barstow, whose mum Kathleen Hall has been a nursing care resident at Springfield for just over a year, told the T&A: "The decision has been taken without consultation. I and my mother who is a nursing care resident are in shock.

"My mother is 89 and obviously frail and vulnerable," she added.

"Many residents will be feeling very distressed and uncertain about their future care. Anchor are simply abandoning people with nursing needs."

Christine Robinson, whose parents Florence and Thomas Collins, both 82, have been resident at Springfield for almost three years - one with nursing needs and the other with residential care needs, said: "Families are devastated by the announcement, this home is the elderly people's home, and they are being evicted.

"Some families even have both parents in the home and could be separated by this decision.

"There is already a lack of care beds in the Bradford area, with even ten people chasing a single bed, so where are these people going to go?"

Philip Birkinshaw, regional operations director for Ashcroft and Springfield, said: “As a charity, we are obliged to regularly review the type of services we provide to our customers and the way in which we provide them. This is so we can be sure we’re using our resources in the most effective way.

“We have recently looked hard at the services we provide at Ashcroft and Springfield and as a result, we intend to make the homes residential care homes only and will phase out nursing care provided to residents over the coming month, which unfortunately may lead to redundancies.

"However our plans are designed to ensure customers continue to receive specialist care and over this time we anticipate staff numbers to remain static as the nurses positions will be replaced by team leader roles that the nurses are able to apply for.

"Residents who do not require nursing care will continue to live at Ashcroft and Springfield and will not be affected.

“We will keep residents informed throughout and are very confident that the move will help secure a strong future for the home.”

Bradford Council confirmed that it was aware of the situation and would be working with the residents affected to ensure they can find another care home with nursing care to meet their needs.

Lyn Sowray, the Council's assistant director operational services - adult and community services, said: "We are fully aware and are working closely with the CCG, Anchor and people affected."