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Families in 'disbelief' over care home closures

Holly RattleyWiltshire
News imagePhil Gorman A man with brown hair and wearing a pale pink T-shirt and grey shorts is pictured standing next to his wife on a grass verge by the side of a road. The woman has blonde hair and is wearing a dark grey jumper and dark blue jeans. Both are standing in front of the 'Buckland Court' care home sign on the road side with houses and parked cars in the background.Phil Gorman
Phil Gorman, pictured with his wife Hedda Gorman, said the announcement had caused anxiety for families

The son-in-law of a woman who lives in one of three care homes set to close by the end of June has said the decision has led to anxiety among families.

Buckland Court in Amesbury, Seymour House in Chippenham and Hungerford House in Corsham are expected to close by 30 June after a decision by Wiltshire Council and The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT).

Phil Gorman - whose 83-year-old mother-in-law Anthea Kenny is a resident at Buckland Court - said a meeting with families caused "anxiety" and "disbelief".

Wiltshire Council said the three care homes were built more than 50 years ago and were no longer up to modern standards of specialist care.

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Council leader Ian Thorn said: "You cannot run a home, in my opinion, where the boilers are breaking, the roofs are leaking, in 2026 where residents don't have their own toilet.

"You get to the point where you have to act."

He said he was "extremely concerned" about ensuring that residents "get the best possible opportunities, supported by Wiltshire Council, to live locally".

News imagePhil Gorman An elderly woman with grey hair and black-rimmed glasses is pictured sitting in a purple high-backed armchair. She is wearing a burgundy pink cardigan and there is a fluffy-haired cream-coloured dog in front of her. In the background there is a white radiator cover below a window.Phil Gorman
Anthea Kenny, pictured with her dog Tyler, has been a resident at Buckland Court since November

Kenny, who has dementia, has lived at Buckland Court since November.

"It's going to be upsetting for her because she's going to have to start all over again with a new home and new people," Gorman said.

"It's just the timescale that annoys us because no-one is thinking about the human factor here."

In response to a question about the timeframe, Thorn said: "If you make it much longer you create more uncertainty for the residents, for the family and for the members of staff as well."

A family member of another resident living at Buckland Court - who wished to remain anonymous - described the news as "a bombshell".

They said: "It's a shock move, especially to move everybody in 10 weeks."

Matthew Jones, divisional director for Wiltshire at OSJCT - which has overall responsibility for the operation of the three council-owned care homes - said he understood it would be "an unsettling time".

He added: "We want to reassure every resident, family member and colleague that they will be fully supported throughout the transition period."

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