East Devon MP Simon Jupp has questioned the ‘hugely regrettable’ decision to close a Budleigh Salterton care home.

https://www.exmouthjournal.co.uk/news/simon-jupp-questions-budleigh-care-home-closure-1-6495643

He has written to [Abbeyfield] care home bosses questioning them over the decision to close Shandford, in Station Road.

The Abbeyfield Society last week announced the care home will be closing at the end of March.

The society said keeping the home open was no longer viable due to ‘the systematic recruitment challenges’ and ‘significant’ renovation work needed.

In a letter to Abbeyfield chief executive David McCullough, seen by the Journal, Mr Jupp has asked for the financial assessment of the works to be published and queried whether money from wills of former residents could be used to fund repairs.

He also asked if staff have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements – sometimes known as gagging orders.

Mr Jupp questioned when Abbeyfield will know to which care homes residents will be transferred and what steps will be taken to guarantee their safety and security.

In response, the Abbeyfield Society said no staff have been asked to sign a gagging order and more than £1.7 million – including legacies from wills – has been spent on renovations over the last eight years.

The society also said it will provide residential care or housing and financial help towards the elderly in Budleigh and the surrounding villages.

Mr Jupp said: “It’s hugely regrettable that Abbeyfield Shandford is closing and I want to find out more details.

“What we have got is the issue of people being moved when it is extremely stressful and affects their health.

“It’s less about the building and more about the people.

“Elderly people moving care homes can be extremely damaging to their mental health.”

A spokesman for the Abbeyfield Society said: “We welcome Mr Jupp’s offer to meet with The Abbeyfield Society to discuss his concerns and are in the process of reaching out to his office to set up a meeting”.

Last week (Jan 29) the Journal ran an article in which Abbeyfield were quoted as saying that money raised from the potential sale of the site would be used “for the benefit of older people in Budleigh Salterton”. The society has been working with a local volunteer group to return the home to trustee management. The article also quoted an Abbeyfield spokesman as saying: “A group of local people, made up of former professional in areas including care home management, finance, property and law, undertook a detailed review of the infrastructure, building condition and financial performance of the home. Unfortunately they also concluded that keeping the care home was not a viable option”.

Owl’s local sources are saying that considerable sums from Budleigh Salterton and lower Otter Valley residents have been given to this charity since it started in the 1950s (merged with Abbeyfield 2012). They complain that there has been a lack of transparency over who has actually been running it for the past few months and why there was no public meeting called to consider other options to closure in March.

BBC Spotlight were seen on site yesterday and may feature an article on the situation tonight.

Owl believes that lack of transparency in dealing with money donated by the public is fundamentally wrong and does nothing but breed suspicion. Owl hopes that there has been no conflict of interest in those involved in the review and their possible role in any potential recipient organisation of funds released.