HEALTH chiefs have until tomorrow to find new homes for remaining vulnerable residents of a Co Fermanagh care facility closed down by the watchdog over serious failings.
The Irish News has learned that the Western health trust has secured 23 places for 39 patients living in Ashbrooke care home in Enniskillen - six of whom have already been moved.
A meeting is due to take place this morning between the trust, patients, relatives and representatives from Runwood Homes, the Essex-based operator which runs Ashbrooke, following last week's unprecedented closure by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA).
Relatives had expressed concerns that their loved ones could be moved as far away as Derry but it is understood the new home placements are in Fermanagh.
Many were also keen that the trust work with Runwood to overhaul current structures to enable residents - some of whom have dementia-related illnesses - to continue to live there.
Appalling conditions were discovered by the regulator during an unannounced inspection earlier this month, with a team finding some residents hadn't been washed for a month while others appeared to have lost worrying amounts of weight that hadn't been recorded.
The RQIA said it had no choice but to remove the home's registration, the first time such a move had been taken out in the north since the body was set up over a decade ago.
Runwood is currently taking legal action against the decision, with 28 days to appeal it.
The company confirmed that redeployment is being offered to the home's 40 staff.
"If that is not suitable, they will be offered redundancy," a spokeswoman said.
Gavin O'Hare-Connolly, the new Northern Ireland group operations director for Runwood, admitted there had been a "failure in management" but said it was exploring all legal routes to ensure the facility is reopened.
He confirmed that a "deep clean" of the premises had taken place and said it was "deeply sorry" for what had happened.
The firm, which recorded profits of £5 million last year, has 11 other homes across the north. A number of watchdog warnings have issued to several of its facilities including Clifton nursing home in Belfast and Dunmurry Manor.
The Western health trust has refused to comment on the number of Ashbrooke patients it has rehomed or the location of the placements.
Instead in a statement it said: "The Western trust recognises the importance of ensuring that all residents and their families are fully supported through this difficult period. The trust continues to explore all options available, to ensure the placement of our clients to suitable accommodation which meets their individual needs."
