Salford care home closure is devastating, families say

Ben Glynn is "very content" at Laburnum Court and there is no room for him at other care homes, his wife said

The families of more than 50 elderly and infirm people have been told they will have to leave a care home when it shuts in three months.

Over 80 staff at Laburnum Court Care Home in Broughton, Salford, could lose their jobs.

Relatives of the residents - many with high dependency needs such as dementia - said the decision was "devastating".

However, owners said the "ongoing viability of the home" had been impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

Beltz Care Ltd bought the home for £1.8m two years ago.

Debbie Glynn's 84-year-old husband, Ben, has been in Laburnum Court for a few months

At an extraordinary meeting in February 2022, there was a "change of objects" removing an obligation to run the home for the benefit of elderly people.

A letter from then director Rob Baillie sent out to one of the families on 29 November said: "It is with regret that I have to inform you at this time of plans by investors of Laburnum Court to close the home permanently.

"This decision has not been made lightly and we have over the past few months explored many different options for the home to allow it to gain financial sustainability now and in the future without success."

It said the timeline for the final closure date was estimated to be some time between the end of February or mid-March 2024.

Debbie Glynn's 84-year-old husband, Ben, has been in Laburnum Court for a few months. He is a resident of the elderly mentally infirm (EMI) unit and has dementia.

'Exceptional care'

Debbie, 61, told BBC North West Tonight: "He settled in immediately. He's very content there and I can't praise it enough.

"There are only a couple of nursing homes in Salford with those kinds of facilities, and they have no room for him. I have no idea what we're going to do. This is absolutely devastating.

"The staff at the home are absolutely brilliant, and they deliver exceptional care. I feel so sorry for them. Many of them have been there for more than 20 years."

Hilary McClean, 65, had a mother who was in the home for four years and said she was "devastated by the news".

"I feel so sad for the relatives and the fantastic staff at Laburnum Court. The work they do with the residents in the EMI facility is fantastic," she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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