Staff at struggling Sheffield care home face redundancy with Covid-19 ‘the final straw’

Advisors are being appointed to look at the possibility of selling Newfield Nursing Home in Heeley- and the care facility has entered into a consultation with staff about redundancies should a sale not be possible.

Bosses at Palms Row Health Care, which runs the nursing home, said they had ‘repeately’ warned that care home closures were likely ‘without better support at national and local level’.

It is hoped that, should it come to it, the ‘amazing and hard-working’ staff will be able to apply for jobs at Westbourne or Northfield homes or find work through Heritage Oaks Healthcare and other agency providers in the city.

Nicola Richards, director of Palms Row Health Care, said: “In many ways Covid-19 has been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

"Care homes across the country are struggling and our news today is a sad reminder that social care needs urgent support and long-term funding solutions agreed in order to be viable.

“At Northfield and Westbourne homes, Palms Row will continue to provide all of the necessary support to make sure that ongoing care for residents continues to the same high standards that we have provided for many years and we will continue to put pressure on those who make the decisions and those who neglected care homes before and during the crisis.”

All residents except one in Newfield are on a care plan managed by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and work has commenced to find suitable alternative accommodation should a closure become likely.

The one remaining private resident at Newfield will be offered a transfer to Westbourne or Northfield,

Those residents that were transferred from Newfield on safety grounds at the start of the pandemic have also been updated on the situation.

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