8:00am Wednesday 27th January 2010
By Joanna Codd
A CHARITY is handing back an old people’s home to Bournemouth council, claiming that a 62 per cent rent hike makes it no longer financially viable.
Now elderly residents at Draper House in Kinson, including a 97-year-old woman, are facing the upheaval of having to move to new accommodation.
Draper House was one of 18 homes transferred from Dorset County Council to the Dorset Trust in 1991. Ownership of seven passed to Bournemouth council six years later.
The terms of the 25-year lease to the charity, renamed Care South in 2005, included rent reviews every five years. The terms of the lease require vacant possession.
Judith Geddes, executive director of Bourne-mouth’s adult and community services, said: “The decision to terminate the lease has been made by Care South.
“The rental increase has been set by an independent expert and takes into account market rent. In the last review no increase was applied.
“The council’s main priority is the care and wellbeing of residents and we will work in partnership with Care South to ensure each and every resident is safeguarded and comfortably moved into new residential care.”
The trust says the changes will be made when the weather improves and the residents have had time to accept the move.
Susan Willoughby, chief executive of Care South, said: “We are sorry that this situation exists and has come about by the large increase in rent and the fact that local authority payments for residents are not commensurate.
“Draper House is one of the older homes with no en-suite facilities and no longer meets the need of the community.
“Competition now offers en-suite facilities and caters for dementia and nursing in order to cope with the greater frailty of older people when they enter residential care.”
She added: “We will do everything to make all moves as easy as possible for residents and staff and will offer everyone a place in another Care South home.”
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