HC-One in Cambridgeshire to shut care homes

A major UK care provider will close all homes in a county where it made "unacceptable mistakes" in the care of residents who died.

Inquests earlier this year into three deaths of residents at The Elms in Whittlesey found shortcomings, poor care and issues with record keeping.

The Elms has since closed and Cambridgeshire County Council stopped new placements at all HC-One-run homes.

The provider said the three remaining homes were no longer viable.

'Unacceptable mistakes' care provider to shut homes

Following the inquests, HC-One apologised to the families of The Elms residents David Poole, Margaret Canham, and George Lowlett - who all died with within two months of each other 2019.

It said "unacceptable mistakes" had been made in their care.

At the inquest, Ms Canham's granddaughter Kim Arden said she felt she had "been lied to, misled and offered money by HC-One".

Coroner Caroline Jones paid tribute to the three families involved, stating the changes "brought through your campaign is remarkable".

She is currently considering whether to publish a prevention of future deaths report.

HC-One had previously apologised to the family of Joyce Parrott, who died in 2020.

Her daughter said no attempt was made to resuscitate her after she was confused for another resident.

In September last year, it was announced The Elms - later to be rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) - would close, as well as HC-One run home, the Manor House in Upwood.

That left three homes run by the provider in Cambridgeshire - The Cambridge in Chesterton, Cambridge; The Gables in Whittlesey and The Red House in Ramsey.

But the county council and local NHS had stopped new admissions to HC-One homes in July 2022 following "quality concerns".

In a joint statement, the organisations said: "HC-One, Cambridgeshire County Council and NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have invested significant time and effort into these homes, focusing on making improvements and addressing the concerns raised.

"Whilst there have been improvements made at the homes during this time, acknowledged by the CQC, Cambridgeshire County Council and HC-One have been unable to reach an agreement on the improvements and on lifting the embargo, and restarting admissions into these homes.

"HC-One has therefore decided that the three homes are now no longer operationally and financially viable, which has unfortunately resulted in the decision to begin the closure process of the three homes."

The statement said it was a "disappointing decision for everyone involved", recognising the impact on residents families and staff.

New placements will be found for the 74 affected residents, while the homes - which employ nearly 200 people - will not close until all residents have moved.

When asked about the closures, Mr Poole's widow Jeanne told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "The first reaction for me was relief that the inadequacies and failings in care delivery to the people of Cambridgeshire is going to be brought to an end."

She added that "whilst it is a shock and clearly unsettling for everyone involved, if it was my family member in one of those homes I would be grateful for the opportunity to put them into an environment now where they would receive consistent, safe and effective care... rather than being at the mercy of HC-One."

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