Anger as Birchley Hall care home to close after 50 years in Billinge

Specialising in end-of-life care and supporting elderly residents with dementia, Birchley Hall care home has operated out of a Grade-II listed building for the past half-century.

With increasing problems reported at the Billinge care home, such as faulty lifts and chair lifts, the business was placed into administration last year.

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Staff and residents given 30 day notice period

Birchley Hall has stood as a care home for the past 50 years (Image: Contributed)

Drafted under the supervision of Healthcare Management Solutions (HMS) during administration, bosses had been looking to repair the necessary building work at Birchley Hall whilst looking for a buyer to take the business forward.

Unsuccessful in the search for a new buyer, the HMS management team has given staff and residents a 30-day consultation period until July 15, with the care home to close soon afterward.

This means that 23 residents, including many vulnerable, elderly, and dementia-suffering residents, will need to find a new care home, while around 60 staff members will need to find a new job.

According to sources, there is an air of frustration at the abrupt closure, as some employees have worked at the care home for decades, but no details of support or redundancy packages have been made available.

Staff 'disgusted and angry' at the way they have been treated

Carers and residents have been told they will need to find a new care home (Image: Contributed)

One of the carers at Birchley Hall, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "Everyone who works at the care home is disgusted and massively angry about the way we have been treated.

"We were assured that our jobs would be safe in administration but that's not been the case. Some people have worked here for 35 years and there has been no support whatsoever and nothing confirmed about redundancy packages.

"It's not just about us, it's about all the residents who we have built relationships with and are familiar with us. Moving them to another care facility will be detrimental to their already ill health."

Birchley Hall said staff and residents will be supported during the closure (Image: Google Maps)

A spokesperson for Birchley Hall said that the business hopes to secure a "smooth transition" for all residents into a new care home.

Staff members will be supported to find new roles, the spokesperson said, but the care worker is not convinced of this, particularly because of the length of time it has taken to fix problems under administration.

"I believe that head office is just telling residents and families what they want to hear", the care worker added.

"They have led families to believe that all carers will be able to move across with residents into a new facility, and I don't believe that will be the case."

Care home explains closure

Speaking about the impending closure of Birchley Hall, a spokesperson said: “We are extremely sorry that we have found no alternative to closing the home despite exploring every avenue.

"Unfortunately, the scale of work required to bring the building up to the standards our residents deserve is not viable.

“We understand that this is a difficult time for everyone, and we will work with the local authority and our residents and their families to support a smooth transition to new homes. 

"We’d like to thank the fantastic staff team and they will be supported to find positions in a sector that is desperate for good quality people.

"They will also be welcome to apply for roles within the wider group.”