If failings were so serious that immediate closure was ordered one wonders if there will be any legal action taken against individuals?

The authorities need to be up front with the reasons for closure to allay fears of relatives and any clouds that may be hanging over the heads of the staff

Such a worry for those residents and relatives. If you have first-hand experience of any care homes in the area,we would welcome your review on the WhereforCare website.

something is fishy

I feel I must leave a comment on this story as my mother is the manager of the Alton Centre. My mother has been devastated at the recent events and is not permitted to speak to anyone about the current situation and as such cannot explain what has been happening. All I can say, is that she has worked in Healthcare since the early 80's, has been a qualified nurse since 1994 and has worked as a manager for the last 9 years. She has never had any complaints made against her by staff, residents or families. She reached the final stage of the manager’s award this year, for which Southern Cross Healthcare, who own the Alton Centre, entered her. Why now are they criticising her management if only a few months ago she was told she was one of the company's best home managers??? This news has come as a complete bombshell and is a living nightmare for all concerned. To my knowledge, the staff are not being kept advised of what is happening. I also know that the residents do not wish to leave the Alton Centre as they consider it to be their home and they are settled. In my opinion CSCI should listen to the residents, their families and staff. The trauma of moving some of these people may be too much and I fear the worse for some of those who are most vulnerable. They are not cattle, they are people with complex needs. The residents have a voice and should be heard. My mother is not permitted to speak to ANY of her staff or to go in to the centre. I hope that she gets the opportunity to defend herself although at this time she still has no update as to what it is that is supposed to have been found wrong. I hope that readers will keep an open mind to what is reported and that the Alton Centre will be saved and that those in management think hard about their conduct in the process of saving their own jobs. My mother, who is an outstanding nurse, may be in a position where she can no longer work as a manager or even as a nurse. What will she do then and who will employ her? It is

MY MUM USED TO WORK HERE AND WHEN SHE RETIRED SHE USED TO VOLUNTEER, SHE LOVED THE RESIDENTS AND STAFF, SHE HAS SINCE MOVED AWAY,BUT SHE HEARD THEROUGH THE GRAPEVINE ABOUT THE CLOSURE AND IS VERY SHOCKED AND UPSET BY IT.SHE SAYS THE RESIDENTS WERE WELL CARED FOR AND STILL COUNTS MANY OF THEM AS HER FRIENDS.
THE SUDDEN CLOSURE MUST BE VERY UPSETTING TO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE AS MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN THERE A NUMBER OF YEARS, PERHAPS SOMEONE SHOULD ASK THEM HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT IT? OR DO WE AS A SOCIETY BELIEVE THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU NEED SOME HELP WITH LIVING YOU DO NOT DESERVE A LIFE!!

I am left wondering by everything that has happened regarding the Alton Centre, comments by csci, relatives of residents and staff, what has happened to the democracy and fairness in this once wonderful country of ours. It appears that you are guilty before any sort of hearing and are even unaware of your 'crime'. The fact that the residents of Alton are being moved from their home, which by all accounts they regard as happy and the attempted destruction of a dedicated nurse is absolutely appalling.

We should all do our best to stop this Big Brother cancer which is spreading rapidly throughout our daily lives, if there is something to complain about tell the person or persons involved then at least a defence can be put forward.

At one time Great Britain was synonymous with justice and fair play, how sad to see it now.

As a student studying Health and Social Care, I find this situation shocking. As much as I understand that if their is even the slightest concern over the welfare of residents in care home, action must be taken, there must also be a balance.
Those living their, especially the more vulnerable amongst them, have a right to know why they are being forced to leave. For some of them it will cause longterm emotional distress, not to mention their families having to watch them being hauled about. No proper plan seems to have been made, for the transfer of residents The staff also have a right to be given some idea of what is, allegedly, supposed to have happened. I would hope that the Primary Care trust is offering it's support to staff members, but it appears that people are now guilty until proven innocent. You have to wonder if something so terrible that it warrants closure, has occured, why it wasn't picked up before.
On a more personal note, i've known the manager there for nearly 30 years, and I would trust them with my life.
I know how much their job means to them, and the sacrifices they made to get there. They are totally comitted to improving the lives of their residents. To hear they have been treated in this manner, with their future prospects looking very bleak, and no understanding of what has occured is awful. A simple explanation would at least give them a chance to defend themselves.