A SPECIALIST care home which provided accommodation for 12 people with learning disabilities has closed.
Park Cottages, on Neville Avenue in Kendray, was inspected by the Care Quality Commission in January, when it was rated as inadequate and placed into special measures.
It is owned by Roger Shipley, of Park Care Limited, who also owns the neighbouring and now-closed Park Grange care home.
When Park Grange closed suddenly earlier this year, Mr Shipley initially said he had wanted Park Cottages to remain open. But yesterday he told the Chronicle he was retiring.
He said: “It is part of our retirement package. We are getting old and tired and we thought we would retire a long time ago. The business climate isn’t easy in the care home industry and unfortunately, this was the decision we made.
“There were 12 people, but they have now gone. They have been found places very quickly and very successfully with the aid of the council.
“They’ve not moved far and I think a lot of them have moved together and are settling in well.”
Mr Shipley said discussions had taken place about developing the existing buildings into residential accommodation.
The CQC inspection of Park Cottages found people were not protected from unsafe or unsuitable premises. For example, fungi had grown around the carpet under one person’s sink due to a leak. Water was also found to be dripping through the ceiling light in a corridor from a poorly maintained roof.
Inspectors also found people were not protected from the risk of infection because an effective system was not in place to maintain the cleanliness of the home. A report said positive relationships between staff and people who lived at Park Cottages were evident. Staff were caring and supported people in a way that maintained their dignity and privacy, although people’s dignity, privacy and equality was not supported by good standards of building maintenance.
Park Grange had also been rated as inadequate before it closed. At the time, Mr Shipley said the closure was nothing to do with the CQC rating, but because he could not find anyone to take over the running of the home. There were about 20 residents living there at the time, and their families were informed of the home’s closure by social services.
Both homes have now been de-registered with the CQC.
