Shock over timescale to close two care homes in Bradford

Relatives of residents at Rix House in Keighley and Weaver Court in Idle have been told the two facilities will shut by the end of October.

While the ageing group homes have been earmarked for closure, some residents have found alternatives, such as smaller homes.

But for the families of the 14 residents that remain at Rix House and Weaver Court, the closing date decision, and its timescale, has come as a blow.

Marie Ann Peters, whose 61-year-old brother has been at Rix House for four decades, condemns the decision as "disgraceful".

Rix House in Keighley (Image: Newsquest)

"No regard has been shown for the residents, their families or the staff," she says.

"These are vulnerable adults who've lived there for up to 40 years, from when the home first opened.

"My mother had to fight then to get a place for my brother. I didn't think I would be fighting 40 years later for him to stay there."

Kevin Johnson, whose 52-year-old daughter Penny, is another affected resident, described how they had been told the age of the buildings, their state of repair and running costs had contributed to the Council’s decision.

But he said they had previously been told the timeframe for everyone to move out was 18 months to two years - and this was in August last year.

He said: “Some previous residents have been moved to independent and supported living that met individual needs.

Weaver Court in Idle (Image: Newsquest)

“But there are some Rix House and Weaver Court residents, whose needs could not be met from the housing list.”

He said for Penny, who had lived at Rix House for 20 years, a smaller house with one or two residents accompanied by carers was not be suitable due to her needs.

The family fear a move out of a group home setting would be detrimental to her health and well-being.

“This announcement is a total shock to residents, staff, parents, friends and families alike and the pace of its proposed delivery hardly meets the needs of the most vulnerable in society,” he added.

Residents' families are due to meet Council staff next week in an effort to talk about their options going forward.

Bradford's City Hall (Image: Newsquest)

Iain Macbeath, strategic director of health and wellbeing at Bradford Council, responded by saying that they are doing everything they can to support residents and their families.

“We are working closely with Turning Point, the company who provide care at each of the homes, and with the 14 residents and their families who have been impacted by the closure to make sure we have suitable individual care plans in place to reduce the potential anxiety that we know can be created for people facing a change in accommodation and support arrangements.

 “We have already supported a number of residents to move into alternative accommodation, including long-term supported living homes which is why there are now so few residents currently living in either Rix House or Weaver Court.

“Closing a care home is not a decision that we take lightly as we know it can create anxiety for residents and their families. We believe that this is the best decision in the long-term so we can provide the right level of care in better facilities in the future.

“Large residential homes of this type are no longer the preferred model of support for adults with disabilities. Supported living where people live in an adapted property - often with or near to friends and family - and with individualised support to meet their needs, is a better option for most. For this reason, there is and has been no plan to build new alternative residential care provision.

“As always our priority is to ensure residents' needs are kept at the forefront of what we do as well as minimising any disruption.”

Davinder Jhuty, national head of service - learning disability at Turning Point added: "Our priority is the wellbeing of the people we support, making sure they have the right place to live with the right support.

"We are committed to supporting families and the council to find options which meet everyone’s needs. There have been several meetings involving the council and families in the past 12 months."