Son 'terrified' by threatened closure of care home

Residents of the Hawthorns care home have already moved out after the Salvation Army announced its future was uncertain

The son of a woman with dementia has said she is facing a "terrifying" future after the care home where she lives was earmarked for closure.

Roger Gould's mother Millie lives at the Hawthorns in Buxton, Derbyshire, which is run by the Salvation Army.

The charity has said it plans to move away from running 11 residential homes across the country in favour of community-based care, with six homes set to transfer to another care provider and five, including the Hawthorns, to close.

Mr Gould said: "She's not really got a clue what's happening. It's going to be a new start for her and it's going to be terrifying."

Millie Gould (left) sat with her sister Hilda. Since the Salvation Army announced that the Hawthorns was threatened with closure Hilda has moved to another home

Mrs Gould is the youngest of seven sisters and has lived and worked in Buxton all her life.

She worked for the NHS at the Devonshire Royal Hospital in the town as a physiotherapist and hydrotherapist.

She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's three years ago and was persuaded in January to move into the Hawthorns, where her eldest sister Hilda, 99, lived.

However, Hilda has since moved into another care home as the Hawthorns is facing closure.

A decision will be made on the future of the Hawthorns later this month, where Roger Gould's mother Millie is a resident

The Salvation Army has owned the Hawthorns building in Burlington Road for 90 years and originally ran a women's refuge at the site.

It became a care home for the elderly in the 1980s and was rated 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission at its last inspection in 2020.

Mr Gould believes the care it offers is better than other care homes in the town and said the Salvation Army has sent him a list of alternatives, but he does not think any will be suitable due to higher costs and their distance from Buxton.

A petition opposed to the potential closure has been set up by Claire Bateman, who used to work at the Hawthorns, and has since collected more than 1,300 signatures.

She said: "It just felt like we had no voice, that we had no power in any of it.

"There are staff that have been there for twenty-odd years who have put so much into that home and the residents are so happy. So it was heart breaking."

'Last Resort'

Before the Salvation Army announced in June it was set to stop running the 11 care homes, the Hawthorns had 27 residents. There are now nine.

A final decision on its future will be made on the week starting September 29.

The Salvation Army spokesperson said: "Closing a home is a last resort which is why we have been exploring all viable options before we make a final decision which includes considering consultation feedback and looking for potential buyers.

"Should the Hawthorns reach the point of closure, our focus will be to settle every single resident into new accommodation and a home will not close until an alternative placement has been found."

Derbyshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Care councillor Joss Barnes said it has been working with the Salvation Army on the issue.

He added: "We would of course always support people living there and their families to find an alternative placement should it eventually close and we will be in touch with Mr Gould to offer that support."

But Roger has one simple piece of advice for people about the future and that is "just don't get old in this country."