Doune’s Manor Hall Care Centre to close
ELDERLY residents of a care home near Stirling are facing uncertainty following the announcement it is to close. Manor Hall Care Centre near Doune is to shut within months.
Owners Southern Cross Healthcare say carrying out major improvements to the listed premises to bring them up to new standards is too overwhelming, particularly while there are people living there.
Now the search is on for suitable alternative homes for around 19 residents at the centre, said to provide nursing, residential and respite care for elderly people with physical frailty, confusion and early dementia and those in need of short or long-term convalescence.
A centre spokesperson: “We have taken the difficult decision to close Manor Hall Care Centre. The environment at Manor Hall can no longer meet the needs of the people we look after and their wellbeing is our primary concern.
“We have been in consultation with both Stirling Council and the Care Commission and they are in agreement with our decision. Manor Hall does not currently meet National Care Standards for Older People due to the structure and layout of the building. We have reviewed the possible changes required in consultation with our partners, and the work required is too onerous to carry out in an operational care home.
“Throughout this process our principal concern has been the wellbeing of our residents. We are working with our colleagues at Stirling Council to ensure we can help our residents to find a care home which is more appropriate to their needs.
Redeployed
“Staff members from Manor Hall are being redeployed to other Southern Cross care homes in the area. Notice was formally given to residents and staff on December 4 and Manor Hall will close on March 5.”
A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “Our social care senior managers met with management from Southern Cross to discuss the closure. A small team of social care staff will reassess the needs of the residents and consult with them regarding their future care placements. We will also consult with Southern Cross regarding the movement of residents to other establishments to ensure as smooth a transition as possible.”
In November Care Commission inspectors said an internal environment audit of the premises was required to identify repairs, upgrades and redecoration of bathroom, shower and toilet areas and that all should be functional, to comply with “fitness of premises” standards.
Their report also mentioned allegations of unapproved work carried out by previous owners, resulting in many areas of the home being unable to be fully used and some repairs unable to be actioned because of outstanding issues. It added there therefore continued to be a lack of accessible communal toilets and baths/showers throughout the home’s three floors.
