Plans to shut Peterborough care homes met with anger and disbelief

Families have expressed their fears about “devastating” proposals which could see two care homes closed down and their loved ones moved.

Peterborough City Council’s cabinet will consider on Tuesday whether to go ahead with a three-month consultation about shutting Greenwood House, in South Parade, West Town, and Welland House, in Poplar Avenue, Dogsthorpe.

The proposal has angered staff and families who are steeling themselves for a fight to save the homes which house 32 people permanently, provide respite care to 80 people a year, give 69 people regular day care and employ 184.

Mary Yiannis, whose 83-year-old mum Joyce Sobczak has dementia and goes to Welland House three days a week, has said they have not yet dared tell her mum the news.

She said: “If Welland House goes, it is going to be devastating. We don’t want to jump the gun because the cabinet has not made a decision but we are very concerned.

“They are like family down there. If we had decided my mother needed to go somewhere to live, Welland would be perfect. She knows it and the staff. Continuity is very important to people with dementia.”

Her fears were echoed by staff at a fiery meeting on Monday with many raising concerns about the impact a move would have on residents. One woman, who did not want to be named, said: “If we move people like our residents, many of them don’t survive. The average lifespan is six weeks.”

Another added: “A lot of our clients’ families are very angry about this situation because their relatives have been moved before and now they are being asked to move again. They were given guarantees they wouldn’t be moved.”

Mick Doherty, from Unite, told staff that the meeting showed they had “passion” but told them “if you don’t fight you haven’t got any chance”.

Staff also offered an open invitation to Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald, cabinet member for adult social care, to visit Greenwood House after he said he would not put his mum in there.

He said: “I am very happy to go and see the building and will schedule a time to visit with the director of adult social care. To clarify, I am talking about the building not the quality of care when I said I would not put my mum in there. That is no reflection on the quality of care but there are better buildings to put my mum in.”

He said the move would improve adult social care in the city because the private sector can provide better facilities than the two homes.