THE closure of a care home over safety concerns has been confirmed just a year after a campaign to save it.
In September, it was confirmed a police investigation had been launched into potential neglect following a critical inspection report that prompted a council to step in while new admissions were halted.
It has now been confirmed that the Arthur Jenkins care home in Blaenavon is to close, and it was expected that all remaining residents would be moved to new homes by the end of last week.
Councillor David Daniels, Torfaen council’s cabinet member for adult services, told councillors said social workers had been working with residents and families to find new care homes and working with the health board to ensure they are fit to travel and it will maintain contact until they are settled into their new homes.
He said actions taken by regulator Care Inspectorate Wales had “confirmed residents are at risk remaining in the service which is why we are in a home closure situation and have been moving as quickly and as delicately as we possibly can.”
Operator Spectrum Healthcare officially took over the home in December last year following a campaign, backed by staff, families and the local community, to save it when previous operator Hafod announced that September its intention to close the home.
In May this year, Care Inspectorate Wales issued the home with four priority action notices, following a critical inspection report, which Cllr Daniels said prompted the council to begin its “escalating concern” process which involved council officers visiting the home three or four days a week as they supported it to develop an action plan.
Labour’s Cllr Daniels said Spectrum’s designated responsible individual had given “repeated assurances” improvements would be made but said there was a lack of evidence to substantiate that and it was issued further four priority action notices and two improvement notices following August’s follow up inspection.
He said officers continued to meet weekly with the home but said: “The August inspection confirmed there was negligible improvements and further safeguarding concerns emerged.”
That led to the home being given 28 days make the required improvements but when the Care Inspectorate held a further inspection at the end of September Cllr Daniels said “they had sufficient evidence the service was unsafe and held an urgent improvement panel meeting on October 14 and the unanimous decision of the panel was to issue notices to cancel the provider’s registration and to remove the provider’s responsible individual.
“It is the failure on the part of the responsible individual that has resulted in the notice to cancel this registration sadly.
“These decisions are never taken lightly. The council has a statutory duty to safeguard vulnerable adults and this is what our officers have been doing.”
Blaenavon Labour councillor Liam Cowles said, at the council’s October 28 meeting, the closure is “devastating news for residents, their families and staff” and asked “what, if anything, could have been done differently in relation to support for the registered individual and Spectrum from a council perspective?” but thanked Cllr Daniels for keeping him and other local councillors informed.
Cllr Daniels said it was difficult to see what the council could have done differently “given the serious leadership failures within the home” and said, by comparison, two other care homes had recently entered the escalating concerns process and both demonstrated “clear focus” on achieving improvements had “worked constructively with council officers to successfully achieve the necessary changes within a three-month period.
“Regrettably, this level of engagement has not been evident at Arthur Jenkins”.
He said a review with partners will take place and to identify any opportunities for improvement in the process in future.
In September, Gwent Police said it was in the “early stages” of investigation having received a referral from Torfaen council regarding concerns of neglect at the home.