ELDERLY residents were given just days to move out of a Keighley nursing home amid concerns over safety of care.

One 90-year-old at Laurel Mount had suffered a stroke only days before the notice to vacate was received.

Mary Robinson's son warned that the move would kill her.

And within an hour of arriving at a new home, she had died.

Philip Robinson says he received a phone call from social services the Tuesday evening before Christmas to say Laurel Mount was being closed and he had three days to move his mum.

"There had been no warning or any sign it was going to shut – it came totally out of the blue," said Mr Robinson, 61, of Kennedy House, Ingrow.

"Mum was in a coma and I questioned the decision to move her. I feared she wouldn't survive it."

But she was found a place at Wingfield, in Bingley, and was transferred there on the afternoon of Christmas Eve.

Mr Robinson was informed just after 5.30pm that she had died.

"It was very distressing. I knew this was going to happen – I warned them," he said.

"I'm convinced that the trauma of being moved out and taken by ambulance to another home exacerbated my mum's condition. She could have slipped away peacefully at Laurel Mount.

"She had been at Laurel Mount since July and liked it."

Bradford Council said several concerns had been brought to its attention in recent weeks about the "safety and quality of care" being provided at the 34-bed home, in Woodville Road.

As a result, "enhanced monitoring" was undertaken by the council and an inspection was carried out by the Care Quality Commission.

A council spokesperson says: "We and Bradford District & Craven CCG continued to monitor the situation and provide support to the home.

"After a further review on December 21, the council was not satisfied that the owner would be able to make the required improvements and concluded that the service was not able to deliver safe effective care to its residents.

"The decision was taken by Bradford Council – supported by Bradford District and Craven CCG – to support residents to move to alternative care home accommodation as quickly and safely as possible, as we did not believe it would be safe to leave this until after the Christmas period. All residents were supported during the move by CCG-registered nurses and council social workers to ensure their clinical care and wellbeing was maintained.

"An urgent care home closure fortunately is a rare occurrence and we do not take such decisions lightly. When it does occur it is naturally distressing and worrying for the residents and their families and carers. The welfare and safety of residents always remains our top priority at all times.

"We understand that this has been a difficult time for the Robinson family and would like to express our sympathies to them."

A spokesperson for the Care Quality Commission said: "We are aware that Bradford Council has taken action to find alternative places for residents from Laurel Mount Nursing Home, due to a number of safety issues. The council has transferred all residents to other services and we appreciate how difficult this move was for all families involved.

"We continue to monitor the situation closely, liaising with the council and provider to ensure people are safe."

We contacted Laurel Mount, which said it was addressing the issues raised.

A spokesperson said: "We are working with Bradford Council, the Care Quality Commission and commissioning team to rectify the issues that have been raised. We hope to have residents back in as soon as possible."