Adult care home to close over funding issues

The adult care home, on Foster Court, Blurton, is to close within three months

A Stoke-on-Trent care home that supports adults with physical and learning disabilities is to close due to funding issues.

Mencap, which currently operates from Foster Court in Blurton, said it had made the decision to hand back the contract as a "last resort".

The care home, set up to support up to eight adults, currently houses six full-time residents from the city.

Mencap and Stoke-on-Trent City Council have apologised for the impact on residents, who have three months to find an alternative.

Jackie O’Sullivan, acting CEO of Mencap, said the service cost "significantly more to run than Mencap receives in funding from the local authority".

"We have been paying the difference  for several years, but this is not sustainable for us, as a service provider and charity," she added.

The decision to close was made as a last resort and the contract was now being handed back to Stoke and Staffordshire Council, she said.

"We are working alongside them and will do whatever we can to provide a smooth and supportive transition for the people at Foster Court," Ms O'Sullivan added.

"It is not something we have done lightly and we feel very sorry that an alternative solution could not be found."

The city council said it was working with affected residents to make their moves "as smooth and easy as possible".

Councillor Duncan Walker, cabinet member for adult services, said the authority was "incredibly sorry" and added the cost of living crisis and increased energy prices contributed to Mencap's decision.

"We know this news is going to be devastating to [residents] and their families, but we will work with our many residential care home partners to ensure that we settle our residents into a new home as quickly as possible," he said.