Cornwall Care to close three care homes temporarily but 'not anticipating' more
Bosses say change is needed to support the sector as we learn to live with Covid
The chair of one of Cornwall's biggest care providers says there are no plans to shut any more sites, after announcing three temporary closures.
Cornwall Care says the decision around Headlands at Carbis Bay, Mountford in Truro and Trengrouse in Helston was triggered by staff shortages and the pandemic.
The announcement was made just days after the council declared a critical incident in social care.
Councillor and Emergency Department Consultant, Dr Andy Virr, said that was about easing pressure at the front door where ambulances are having to wait and getting patients out of hospital, to 'keep hospital services safe'.
Cornwall Care says there is a system-wide problem with adult social care and it is not expecting that to improve in the short-term.
Chairperson Sally Taylor explains what the future looks like: "At the moment, there are absolutely no plans to close any of the other sites.
"I couldn't say what will happen in the next ten years however, because what we want is to have absolutely the best possible care home facilities for local residents but we're not anticipating closing any more.
"These homes are actually mothballed which basically means that we're putting them to sleep for the time-being, but that's not to say that we might not be able to reopen them in the future once the world has changed.
"But I can't see any short-term changes because Covid-19 is here and we have to learn to live with it".
We also asked if the government needs to offer more support, to which Sally said: "Let's something does happen because something has to change.
"We can't continue like this. It's putting too much pressure on individuals, on families, on people who are in need of care, on the social services on health care teams - there has to be something that changes".
In a statement released on Thursday 20th January, Sally said a "nationwide recruitment crisis" was taking its toll on everyone who works in Cornwall Care's homes and in its community outreach services.
She added: "Recent data released by Skills for Care shows that Cornwall is the worst affected area in the country for staff shortages and that has meant our people continually going above and beyond to ensure we serve our most vulnerable to the very best of our abilities.
"They have been amazing and I’m so grateful to them for their continued dedication, care and commitment".