DEVASTATED trustees at an Amman Valley dementia care centre are said to have “serious concerns” over the local authority’s decision to swoop in and remove residents from the home.

Hafan Croeso Dementia Care home on Heol Aman, Glanaman, was last week issued with a condition by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) that prevents the home from taking on any new residents.

The instruction came after the CSSIW was made aware that Hafan Croeso had been without a Responsible Individual since May 29 and as of Friday, June 26, also without a registered manger.

As a result of this condition, the council terminated its contract with the home last Friday.

In a statement, the trustees at the centre said they first received a letter from Carmarthenshire County Council on Monday, June 22, informing them of their intention to terminate the contract between them.

They also claim the authority had already written to families of residents prior to this, informing them of their intentions to remove them.

“Hafan has serious concerns over the process followed by the council,” said a trustee member. “The result of the council’s action has been to move vulnerable service users at very short notice who will, due to their dementia, have very limited, if any, understanding of what has happened to them.”

On June 24 trustees at Hafan Croeso wrote a lengthy letter to the council objecting in the “strongest possible terms” to their intentions to move vulnerable residents at such short notice.

The statement from trustees goes on to say that had the council communicated the decision to terminate the contract to them at the same time as they did with residents’ families, Hafan Croeso may have had the opportunity of trying to ask a court to prevent the removal of residents.

This would have provided the staff at Hafan Croeso more time to either resolve the council’s concerns or to work together in an orderly, thoughtful, compassionate way to support the transfer to other homes of their residents.

A spokeswoman from CSSIW said the current situation “presents a significant risk to the safety and wellbeing of the vulnerable people living in the home”.

She added: “In the meantime, and until we are satisfied with the management arrangements, we have issued a condition that prevents the provider taking on new residents into Hafan Croeso Care Home.”

Jake Morgan, director of Community Services, said: “Carmarthenshire County Council’s priority is to support vulnerable users and their families to receive safe and high quality care.

“We agree with the position of the CSSIW that this provider falls short of the standards we should all expect.

“We will continue to work with Hafan Croeso to assist them in developing plans to deliver the quality of care that both the county council and the CSSIW require and we are sure they would wish to provide.”

Hafan Croeso, which offers respite to people aged 52 to 100, was set up by the Amman Valley Dementia Carers Support Group ten years ago following the success of its Hafan Gobaith day centre.

The home was bought and converted with the help of a Lottery grant and the local community.

Dorothy McDonald, who has spearheaded the groundbreaking home, said she was “heartbroken” by the news.

“We have a team of motivated and committed staff who are trained in dementia care, many of whom have certificates in dementia care,” said Mrs McDonald.

“We also have a member of staff who has attended the Iris Murdoch Centre at Stirling University, who are recognised worldwide as experts in the field and has brought back the latest information on dementia care.

“I have recently been made aware that there was a rumour we were in financial difficulties.

“This is completely untrue and we also have a new manager and deputy manager set to start shortly.

“The loss of the Carmarthenshire County Council contract is a massive blow.

“I don’t know what to do or how to move forward from this. We are all devastated by the news.”

  •  The trustees at Hafan Croeso are seeking a Responsible Individual at the care home. For more information drop into the day centre on Station Road, Ammanford, or Hafan Croeso, Heol Aman, Glanaman.