Covid crisis causes care home to close
Entrance to Elaine Price Court, which includes Ryan Care Residential, in Runcorn. The care home has been forced to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic
AFAMILY-RUN care home in Runcorn is to close at short notice after the coronavirus crisis left it struggling to fill beds.
Staff and residents at Ryan Care Residential, in Balfour Street, have been left ‘heartbroken’ by the news that the popular care home has been forced to close after eight years.
Owner Terry Ryan said: “We are a small, not-forprofit care home and all our staff are inconsolable. We are all like family and truly upset.
“Ten elderly residents have been given two weeks to vacant [sic] into alternative suitable placements. It’s heartbreaking for our vulnerable residents having the stress and uncertainty of moving into new care homes.”
According to a statement given to campaign group Care Campaign For The Vulnerable (CCFTV), a number of Ryan Care residents died of Covid-19 and the home had been unable to fill its five vacant beds. With those beds not providing any income, the care home faced huge financial pressure.
Halton Council had agreed to support the care home, the statement continued, but had been unable to keep funding it for more than a few weeks.
Mr Ryan said: “The council have pulled the rug from under us and would now prefer to move our vulnerable residents into other care homes.
“Our elderly residents are devastated as are their families. We’ve been operating for eight years and we are known in the local area for operating a really good dementia care home. Why can’t the local authority help us during these times?”
The care home had been consistently rated as “good” by the Care Quality Commission and praised by the families of residents for the high quality of care it provided.
One family member told the CCFTV: “My aunty and uncle were in this care home for eight years. It is the most caring and outstanding home I have ever experienced and I have attended many.
“This is an absolute disgrace that it has to close and no fault of their own. The level of care and attention and personal relationships in this home would be devastating to lose in Runcorn.”
A spokesperson for Halton Council acknowledged that funding for vacant beds had been withdrawn from all care homes, and said Ryan Care’s closure reflected long-standing underinvestment in the sector combined with the economic impact of the pandemic.
The spokesperson said: “Halton Borough Council has been working with Ryan Care to find an alternative solution to closure. Regrettably the family-run home has taken the decision to close.
“The emergency funding and Covid-19 grant funding received from government has been used to ensure financial support is available for all contracted residential and nursing care homes within Halton. This has included paying for vacant beds and paying for any additional Covid-related costs.
“The financial support package for homes was reviewed and the support to fund vacant beds was discontinued. Homes remain able to gain financial support from the Infection Control Grant and claim for Covidrelated expenditure.
“This situation has highlighted the historic lack of investment in the sector and the detrimental effects of the economic climate and Covid19. The focus and priority is now to secure alternative homes for Ryan Care residents. We are working with families, residents and the home to ensure that this transition is as seamless as possible.
“We are also committed to working with the staff currently employed at Ryan Care to help them find alternative positions within the sector.”