Care home closure plans opposed

The council believes the private sector could provide better homes

Care workers, residents and relatives are to protest over plans to close care homes for the elderly.

Last month Durham County Council said it believed it could save £3m a year if it closed down its nine remaining homes, which are two-thirds full.

Union Unison is concerned about job losses, the impact on older people and about handing over all the care homes to the private sector.

The council said no decision had been made and changes would not be rushed.

Unison is planning to lobby a meeting of the council's Labour group on Thursday.

Union regional officer Howard Pink said: "It's appalling that Durham County Council is considering such a drastic and irreversible decision.

Closure trauma

"Even if it is difficult to keep all the homes open, making an extreme decision to shut them all in the space of a year is sheer madness.

"The loss of jobs will be horrific, and result in many compulsory redundancies. We know from past experience that many older people simply don't survive the trauma of home closures."

The union is calling on the council to halt the process and come up with a more balanced plan.

When the council said it was considering the future of care homes, it said it believed the private sector could provide better residential accommodation for the elderly.

It also believes that by pulling out of residential care it would have the money to provide an extra 2,000 home care hours a week and an extra 78 care beds.

It said if it decided to go ahead, the phase-out would take at least a year to complete.