A DEMENTIA care home in Yate will close because the building is no longer fit for purpose for residents.

Woodleaze in Station Road will shut down in the coming months, with its 19 residents moved elsewhere, South Gloucestershire Council’s cabinet decided on Monday.

Staff will be helped to find new work but there are no guarantees of alternative jobs.

In 2010, SGC decided to decommission all eight council-run care homes as part of its Better Support for Older People (BSOP) programme. Six have already closed.

Woodleaze’s care has been rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission but the building itself does not meet modern day standards.

A new care home is due to open nearby in Yate and others have already opened in other parts of South Gloucestershire.

Cllr Ben Stokes, cabinet member responsible for adult care, said: “In the last 16 months, 14 residents have had to be moved from Woodleaze because the building could no longer meet their care needs.

“Following a market review which considered the availability of alternative settings for people with dementia, the review shows there is more than sufficient capacity across South Gloucestershire for the remaining residents to be able to make the necessary transfers to more modern homes which would then enable Woodleaze to close.

“Throughout the transition period, residents, their families and staff will be supported by the council.”

Liberal Democrat SGC councillor Ruth Davis, who recently visited Woodleaze when trying to find accommodation for a relative, agreed the building is no longer fit for purpose.

“The rooms are really small and that lack of space means that residents aren’t able to personalise their own area,” she said.

“When we found accommodation for my relative, we were able to put a TV in there, her own chair, a wardrobe and an extra drawer unit, plus loads of pictures and trinkets. It is very important for people with dementia to have familiar things from their past around them.”

Cllr Davis highlighted the fact that, due to the lack of space at Woodleaze, all residents are placed together, no matter what level of dementia they are experiencing.

“People who aren’t as far down the dementia route as others may be quite happy in their own world. Placing them alongside residents who are distressed, or not coping very well, or who are just silent, can be upsetting for them. In larger establishments, residents can be grouped in together with people at roughly the same level, and when that happens, friendships can blossom.

“It is the right thing to decommission Woodleaze.

“The staff and caring at Woodleaze are very good, but you can only do so much when the surroundings are not big enough. However, it will still be a wrench for the home’s residents when they move, because they are used to their carers and they need consistency.”