Unions claim ‘dirty tricks’ campaign as care home peititions go missing

CAMPAIGNERS battling to keep a Romsey care home open have been dealt a double whammy. Hampshire’s social care bosses have sent their strongest signal yet that Nightingale Lodge will close, while at the same time petitions containing thousands of signatures calling for the care home to be retained have mysteriously disappeared.
Union chiefs are worried the lack of evidence to support the retention of the facility could lead to its demise.

Adult social care chiefs are now recommending Nightingale Lodge, Deeside, at Basingstoke and Bulmer House, Petersfield, be replaced with private sheltered extra care facilities.

A county council statement issued this week said: “Closure is being put forward due to the availability of alternative care facilities locally, both independently-run and those operated by the council.

“Other considerations include difficulties with the existing buildings, which restrict the ability to deliver care with dignity to the increasingly frail and those with dementia. Providing alternative modern care facilities locally will also enable people to live independently for longer, with choice and control.”

However, a fourth home, Cranleigh Paddock, Lyndhurst, which had also been earmarked for closure is now likely to be saved.

Hampshire’s safe and healthy select committee is due to debate the closure proposals on November 22 and its recommendation will go to the authority’s cabinet on December 9.

Acknowledging that campaigners faced an uphill struggle to keep Nightingale Lodge open, Hampshire’s Unite union spokesman, Richard Bambridge, said the disappearance of the petitions didn’t help.

He said someone claiming to represent the union had collected petitions from shops in Romsey, but the papers had not been seen since.

Mr Bambridge said that the signatures were vital for evidence to support the case for retaining Nightingale Lodge. He told the Advertiser: “Petitions for the other care homes have come back to us, but no petition has come back from Romsey, which is very worrying. We know that thousands of signatures were collected in the town.”

“We are aware that someone pretending to represent the union has been removing signed petition sheets and they have not come back to the trade unions.”

“We have raised this with senior officials at HCC and they have noted our concerns.”

Mr Bambridge concluded: “What’s happened makes it look as though there is no support for saving Nightingale Lodge, but as we all know that is not the case.

“There’s been massive support to save all four care homes.”

Unions have warned that if all the closures go-head there will be a loss of at least 190 jobs.

Unison’s Hampshire’s deputy secretary Jan Matthews said there had been an “act of sabotage to stop the campaign against the closure” and outspoken protester Pat Kelly, whose late mother was cared for at Nightingale Lodge, claimed there was “a dirty tricks” campaign afoot.

Romsey’s MP Caroline Nokes is backing the closure and so too is the town’s county councillor Mark Cooper.

He said that although the care provided at Nightingale Lodge was excellent it was is not suitable for severe dementia care.

He added: “ I have asked myself whether I would have wanted my aunt or my father, both of whom endured severe dementia and required lengthy nursing care in Romsey, to be resident in Nightingale Lodge. And the answer is no. So if I would not want my own relatives to stay in Nightingale Lodge I cannot possibly, in all conscience ask Romsey residents to accept this standard of accommodation.”