PATIENTS and carers reliant upon care at a dementia nursing home are “anxious” about its future.

The fate of Meadow Court in Goodmayes hangs in the balance as Redbridge Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) consult on its future.

Redbridge CCG proposes moving patients to alternative homes because of bed underuse. Fourteen people currently use the home, leaving 34 beds free. 

One Place East, a disability charity, responded to the CCG’s proposals by highlighting concerns that the specialist care is unavailable in other nursing homes.

The report states: “Many respondents were of the view that Meadow Court does provide specialist dementia care in Redbridge which is unavailable in other local nursing homes.”

Jon Abrams, who has worked for One Place East for 15 years, says closure would cause great concern among patients and those who campaign for their rights.

The 52-year-old said: “I would have a lot of concerns if they did that. We believe it provides specialist care that’s not available in other local homes.

“At the moment, patients are worried, anxious and fearful about the future in that quite a few people have moved out and become more poorly.  It’s not clear what’s going to happen.”

The prospect of transferring patients to other homes has been identified as a particular cause of concern to carers and relatives.

In a survey carried out by One Place East, 84 per cent of respondents strongly agreed that the local NHS should carry on with its contract for paying for beds at Meadow Court.

The CCG suggests there are 17 other nursing homes within four miles of the Meadow Court which provide the same care as Meadow Court.

The cost of empty beds to the NHS is £2.44 million a year.

A spokesperson for Redbridge CCG said: “The consultation on proposed changes to the CCG’s contract for nursing care services at Meadow Court ended on 27 October 2017. 

“The feedback from the public and stakeholders will be reviewed and considered.”