Families have expressed concerns about their disabled loved ones’ homes and hospital facilities suddenly closing.
One of the facilities is Ward 7A at Woodland View Hospital in Ayrshire, Scotland.
James Bullion, CQC chief inspector of adult social care, said home closures have a “significant” impact
It is due to close on July 14. Families received only four weeks’ notice.
Facilities had ‘fallen short’ of expectations
Health bosses are reported to have suggested that the ward for people with learning disabilities had “fallen short” of their standards and expectations.
Andrew Malcolm’s 21-year-old son Fraser, who has limited speech and complex needs, is a patient on ward 7A.
Too short notice
Malcom said it would not be possible to establish new care packages at such short notice.
He told the BBC: “None of the care providers can react in that time. It’s not safe, it’s not ethical.”
Malcolm has raised concerns about his son’s care at the hospital and has been fighting to have him discharged for several years.
But he maintains the transition should have been managed better.
Another closure
In England, another facility that has already closed is Mencap-run care home Jutland Place, in Egham, Surrey.
It closed last summer.
Mencap said it cost more to run the home in the three years before its closure than it was receiving in funding from Surrey County Council.
New homes had to be found for six residents, with families expressing fears that their loved ones would be moved away from support networks.
Julie Stevens, who has Down syndrome, lived at the home for 27 years. Her sister, Susan, called the closure “cruel and unfair”.
Closures can have a ‘significant impact’
James Bullion is chief inspector of adult social care for the Care Quality Commission, which regulates homes in England.
He said home closures can have a “significant impact on people’s lives”. He added it could cause distress for “people using the service and their families”.
Bullion said councils and care providers should ensure they consider people’s relationships and community links when they move residents to new care homes.
Caroline Cameron is the director of North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership. She told the BBC there had been “violence and aggression” on ward 7A and it had “not improved” despite “intensive support”.
Related:
- Hospital closure ‘a shambles’
- Family takes action over respite closure
- Charity halts heavy cuts in Devon
Published: 10 July 2025
