Council decide to close care home amid plans to build new one

Anthony Lewis, local democracy reporter

A local authority has made big changes to their residential care, choosing to close one care home but save another.

Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) council have decided that Car Glas care home will close, while Ferndale house will remain open for a few years until a new home is built on the former Chubb Factory site.

Councillors considered the closure of both care homes, due to low occupancy and financial constraints.

‘Strong emotions’

Councillor Gareth Caple, the cabinet member for health and social care, said the proposals were “difficult and sensitive” issue “evoking strong emotions amongst the public.”

He said: “No elected member wants to willingly decommission old people’s homes.”

He added that: “The decisions are taken in the context of a continuing decline in general residential care, resulting in low occupancy and a continuous surplus of beds.

He also cited a “background of austerity and severe financial constraints”.

Bed vacancies

Rhondda Cynon Taf council reviewed their care homes in August 2024, and found there was a “continued oversupply” of residential care home beds.

A report said that the council’s residential care home service significantly overspent in 2023/24, attributed mainly to “under achievement of income” due to low occupancy levels.

There were 127 bed vacancies in RCT care homes as of December 9, with 42 in residential, 55 in residential dementia, 27 in nursing and three in nursing dementia.

In Ferndale House there were seven residential dementia bed vacancies, whereas in Cae Glas, there were 26.

The council stated that it has not reached full capacity for some time and is not financially sustainable, hence its closure.

Barrie Davies, the council’s director of finance, confirmed the closure of Cae Glas would save the council £1.164m.

‘Devastating effects’

Councillor Cathy Lisles criticised the council for “dismantling a community.”

Cllr Lisles said the trauma of a move can have “devastating” effects on elderly residents’ physical and mental well-being.

She said: “As our community grows older, we need more care homes not fewer. Decommissioning this facility would be a step backward at a time when we should be expanding our capacity to care for our elderly citizens.”

She added: “The financial savings might look attractive on paper, but the human cost would be immeasurable.”

Residents consultation

The council offered a consultation for residents and their families to share their views on the proposals.

Most of the respondents to the consultation disagreed with the proposal to permanently close Cae Glas care home with 89% disagreeing and of those 85.3% strongly disagreeing.

The majority also disagreed with the proposal to close Ferndale House, with 93.4% disagreeing and of those 89.4% strongly disagreeing.

Their main concerns regarded the impact of a move on the health and wellbeing of their family member, concern about the accessibility, quality and cost of alternative placements, as well as anger and frustration that the rationale for Cae Glas’ closure does not feel justified.

In response, the council said they must “balance these views with other competing factors, in order to make sure the council invested its resources in the right way, so that all residents of Rhondda Cynon Taf could get the right level of care to meet their needs now and in the future.”

New home

The report said that the homes would only be closed once suitable alternative accommodation was found for current residents in a home of their choice which met their assessed needs.

Councillor Susan Morgans said: “It would be a travesty to move these residents prematurely and potentially lead to two relocations.”

Councillor Gareth Caple, suggested they retain Ferndale House until the new home is operational.

The aim is for something to be submitted for planning this year, begin construction in 2026 and for it to be completed in 2028.