Care home firm axes vital dementia units leaving patients' families floored

22 March 2024 , 08:52

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Ann McGill’s mum Jan Tonks is one of dozens of elderly dementia patients forced to leave their care homes after three units were axed (Image: handout)

One of the biggest care home firms in the UK has cut three NHS-funded dementia units leaving families floored and fearing for their loved ones.

Three specialist units have been axed by HC-One Scotland, with families told they were "no longer fit for purpose". Families on Thursday said they'd been "floored" at the news and that many now feared what to do.

The care company, which looks after people with advanced dementia, told people on Wednesday through a letter that was in residents' best interests to close the units in Milnwood, Mossend and Orbiston, all in North Lanarkshire. Ann McGill's mum Jan Tonks is at one of the homes and said many had been left in the lurch with residents forced to leave.

Hatton Lea care home, one of the three to see its dementia units axed (DAILY RECORD)

"These are the only specialist units in this area, nobody knows where these vulnerable adults will end up," she told the Daily Record. The units are run by Hospital Based Complex Clinical Care (HBCCC), which is funded by the NHS, and look after extremely vulnerable elderly residents in advanced stages of dementia.

In the letter, HC-One told families: "It has become clear that the environment and layout of three communities at Hatton Lea are not fit for purpose to support the level of care required for the residents living in the units." It said residents would be better placed in other care settings, calling families to a meeting to discuss the issue further.

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Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire meanwhile has made it clear it was not responsible for the closure. Chief Officer Professor Ross McGuffie said: "The company which operates Hatton Lea Care home has issued us with a notice that it intends to terminate the contract for the Hospital Complex Clinical Care service.

"We will be carrying out a full review of each resident's care. Our overriding priority is ensuring their continued safety, minimising distress and supporting them and their families through this process."

A spokesperson for Hatton Lea said: "As a responsible provider of care, we will always acknowledge when our residents could be better supported elsewhere. In this instance, we have sadly had to conclude that Hatton Lea is no longer the best option for our residents with specialist dementia care needs."

"We have worked at length with our NHS partners to find a solution but sadly have been left with no choice but to close the three communities. We will not move forward with the closure until every resident has been supported to find suitable alternative care."

Vivienne Aitken