A SOUTH Lakeland care home celebrating its 60th anniversary this year has been hit with the ‘devastating’ news that it is to be closed.

A staff member at Holehird said the decision would leave its vulnerable residents facing a move out of the area.

“There’s some that are so frail there that I’m not sure they will survive moving to another home,” said the woman, who wished to remain anonymous.

“All the staff are behind trying to continue on with ensuring Holehird stays open.”

Holehird, near Troutbeck Bridge, houses residents with a variety of needs, including people suffering from degenerative conditions such as multiple sclerosis and who have suffered brain injuries after accidents or strokes.

The site currently houses 24 residents out of a maximum occupancy of 28, with more than 60 members of staff.

“It’s such a unique group of needs, there is no other facility in the local area at all that would be able to support their needs and to help them,” said the staff member.

“We are a home that very much promotes their lives and living.

“It’s not just a time where they’re getting to the end of their life and we support them there, it’s very much the notion of their independence, their wellbeing and their integration within the community - making sure that they’ve got a quality of life.”

In a letter to staff, a spokesman for the charity Leonard Cheshire, which leases the building from the Lakeland Trust, said ‘we are seeing an increasing and steady shift from residential-style settings to independent supported living-style accommodation’.

The spokesman said the home had struggled with a ‘combination of problems’.

He cited the ergonomics of the bedrooms not allowing ‘sufficient space for staff to deliver personal care safely to individuals’ and ‘spiralling’ day-to-day running costs such as gas and electricity.

He said these costs could not be addressed at Holehird due to the Grade II listing of the building and its structure.

The spokesman said funding from commissioners had been an issue and that the ‘funding does not always reflect the amount of care to be delivered’.

Finally, he said the Covid-19 pandemic had led to unoccupied beds at the home, adversely affecting the income of the service.

South Lakes MP Tim Farron said it was ‘devastating’ news and yesterday launched a petition, available on the South Lakes Lib Dems website, to ‘tell those in power that Holehird must have a future’.

“Holehird is such a special place that has gone above and beyond to care for people for the past 60 years,” he said.

“As a community we’ve saved Holehird once before and I am determined that we can save it again.”

The scheduled closing date is October 1.

A consultation involving staff has begun and will last for a minimum of 30 days.

A spokesman for Leonard Cheshire said:

“The level of short and long-term investment needed at Holehird for it to have a sustainable future is prohibitive. Having looked at all the options in detail, it is with great regret that we have therefore made the difficult decision not to renew our lease at the service.

“We know there is considerable local affection for Holehird, and we are speaking to local stakeholders as well as residents, their families and staff individually. Together with local authorities, we will support people to choose new homes that are right for them.

“We’d like to thank all our staff for their dedication and service. We will support them fully in the coming months.”