Elderly people forced to find alternative accommodation after struggling care home to close

Dozens of elderly people will need somewhere else to live after the closure of their care home was announced.
Woodlands Care Home in Mirfield is to close.Woodlands Care Home in Mirfield is to close.
Woodlands Care Home in Mirfield is to close.

Woodlands Care Home in Mirfield, which looks after frail people with dementia, is set to be closed down by its owner Four Seasons Healthcare.

The company said it was struggling to maintain standards at the home, which was rated as “inadequate” by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in January.

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Plans to close Woodlands, on Sands Lane, mean 46 residents could need new homes and up to sixty jobs are at risk.

Four Seasons said building work was needed to bring the home up to standard and its remote location meant it was not easily accessible.

A company spokesman said: “The plan to cease operating the home has not been arrived at easily, but we think it is unavoidable based on a combination of factors.

“As we struggle to maintain the standards that we expect to provide, we are not prepared to continue with the home.

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“The premises would require very substantial work to bring it to our expectations of a modern care home and we think the residents’ care needs can be met better in an alternative environment.”

Four Seasons was trying to find alternative jobs for care staff facing redundancy at the home.

The company said it was working with Kirklees Council’s social services department and residents’ families to find alternative homes.

A Kirklees Council spokeswoman said: “We have already identified that there are a number of similar vacancies in some of Four Seasons’ other nearby homes, and that there are sufficient places in the local care market for any families and relatives that may prefer an alternative provider.”