Derbyshire County Council denies it still has 'cynical' plans to close Chesterfield care home

The Spinney Care Home was one of four sites given a reprieve from closure last month after the council revealed a policy U-turn.

Coun Barry Lewis, leader of the authority, announced a new pledge that ‘no care home shall close without another to replace it’ after 9,000 people signed a petition against the plans.

However, Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins now says the council is preventing attempts by The Spinney to accept long-term residents so County Hall can ‘wind down’ the home and shut it at a later date.

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“The county council were clearly shocked at the strength of the outcry against their proposed closures of these homes and are clearly worried about the election next year,” Mr Perkins said.

"This feels like a cynical attempt to mislead the public and continue with their plans to wind down services at The Spinney to make it easier to close in the future.

“The public aren’t stupid and know when the wool is being pulled over their eyes. Staff at the Spinney are still anxious about their jobs, and residents and their families are again worried about the future of the home.”

Labour MP Mr Perkins said The Spinney was now ‘half empty and being prevented from working to its full potential’.

A Derbyshire County Council spokesperson said the suspension of long-term admissions was temporary because the home needs to be rewired.

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“This is unrelated to the recent consultation and is in relation to what we have been advised is the heightened risk of a fire in one of these homes due to the age of the wiring systems,” she added.

“To mitigate the risks this situation presents we have been carrying out urgent work including replacing fire doors and installing improved fire alarm systems, and in addition we have additional night staff at each of these homes to ensure our residents are safe.

“However, although unfortunate, restricting admissions is currently necessary to help us to manage the level of risk and this will continue until we have established that this is no longer necessary.”

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