'My daughter's life may be at risk when home shuts'

When Deb Wood placed her daughter into Coombe House, she thought it would be her forever home.

But Elizabeth, who has cerebral palsy and needs full-time care, now faces her sixth move since becoming an adult and Ms Wood fears it will put her daughter's life in danger.

It is because Coombe House - Kidderminster's last remaining nursing home for adults with complex learning disabilities - is closing for good in January.

The home has been supporting residents for 30 years and currently cares for 11 vulnerable people with 26 members of staff, but Worcestershire County Council said the cost of required repairs and maintenance were just too high.

"I'm devastated as are other family members, because Coombe House has been here for 30 years," said Ms Wood.

"When Elizabeth came here, I thought this was gonna be her forever home but it turns out it's going to be her sixth move since she's been an adult."

She said she believed her daughter's quality of life would be lower as a result of the closure.

"Last time she was placed in a care home without the proper learning disability facilities, she ended up in hospital for a month and lost 10kg in weight," she said.

"It was a horrific time and I'm really afraid that will happen again."

She added: "I believe it is a matter of life or death."

The county council said it understood the home's closure was "incredibly stressful" but it was "working closely with health and care partners, the care provider, residents and their families to find alternative provision".

The decision to close the home was made after an assessment was carried out by the owners of the building, Citizen Housing.

This identified "substantial repair and maintenance issues", prompting Citizen Housing to decide not to extend its lease with service provider Praxis Care, the county council said.

A spokesperson said: "Regrettably, due to the long-term maintenance issues along with the age and layout of Coombe House, raised in the assessment, no other care provider or housing association has come forward… who could take on care of the residents and responsibility for the building.

"[We] will ensure the care and support needs of each individual continue to be met safely… before the home closes."

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