FRIENDS OF THE ELDERLY STATEMENT

CLOSURE OF THE RNNH CARE HOME

Friends of the Elderly (FotE) confirms that, with regret, we will be closing our care home in Bournemouth, the residential and dementia care home, the RNNH. The Charity’s Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership Team have carefully considered making this difficult decision.

The RNNH was gifted to FotE in 2015, when FotE took over from the charity that had run the care home since it was built. FotE’s ambition was to rebuild the original 1930s building in order to provide a modern care home that met the needs of an ageing population. We always understood that due to the age and condition of the building the RNNH would need to be completely rebuilt.

Regrettably, the intention to proceed has been delayed multiple times due to factors outside FotE’s control. This has included deliberations by third parties regarding the utilisation of the broader Wessex Field site where the care home is located, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

At this point, the Charity’s Board of Trustees have concerns that the building is no longer suitable to continue as a care home. Despite the dedication shown by our care team in caring for our residents, several issues exist with the building that mean that the home does not meet FotE’s standards for property compliance.

The layout of the building is also outdated, reflecting historical standards that do not align with the evolving requirements of the care sector. The Charity cannot afford to address all these issues to bring the RNNH to the standard our residents should rightly expect.

In addition, the RNNH is running at a considerable loss to the Charity and has struggled to build occupancy back up following the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had on admissions into the care home. For all these reasons the Charity has made the difficult decision to close the RNNH.

FotE’s priority is to support our residents, relatives, and staff through this process. We appreciate the impact that this will have on our residents and our priority is their safety and wellbeing. We will be working closely with our residents and their relatives to support them to move to a new home over the coming months.