Heartbreak over carehome closure

STAFF and residents of a Little Horsted residential home, facing closure because of new Government regulations, have spoken of their anger and anguish at being uprooted.

Wicklands Residential Home will close its doors on March 31 next year one day before stringent new minimum standards for homes come into place.

Ten residents in their eighties and nineties have been forced to look for alternative accommodation, while the home s 16 members of staff must find new jobs.

Owner Keith Miln said the decision to close was unavoidable because of the costs involved to meet the new standards, and slammed the regulations as unfair, unreasonable, unworkable and stupid .

Meanwhile, resident Paula Neill talked of her worry and uncertainty in a letter written last week to Prime Minister Tony Blair.

In her letter to Downing Street, 81-year-old Miss Neill said: I am writing to you because of the closure of this home as a result of your Government s intrusion.

Wicklands has always enjoyed a good reputation; the owners and staff are very dedicated people. This has always been a happy home until ten happy elderly people were rendered dumbfounded and despondent at the prospect of being uprooted.

Originally, we all came here to make this our last port of call before departing this planet. Why should we, in our eighties and nineties, be subjected to the worry and uncertainty of finding alternative accommodation suited to our needs.

The quality of life here is second to none; this to me is more important than complying with your untimely and unwelcome rules and regulations.

Residents here have always been treated with loving care and respect. Whilst recognising that certain homes do fail to reach acceptable standards, that is not the case here where the accent has always been on comfort, good food, kindliness and friendliness, making this a home from home .

So why must you interfere? Has it not occurred to you that you are also depriving the owners of their livelihood and making all the staff redundant?

Mr Miln, who has run the home with his wife Claire since 1987, said: Rest homes have been given so long to either adapt and come up to the required standard or put together an action plan.

We re not prepared to do that. The new standards are unfair, unreasonable, unworkable and stupid. We ve made a decision to give residents and staff six months from September 30 to look for alternative accommodation and work. The rest home inspector will come in March 2002 and take our certificate of registration away. We will relinquish it.