The Hospital of God announces planned closure of Gretton Court dementia nursing home in Hartlepool

Greatham-based Charity The Hospital of God has today announced that it has made the very difficult decision to close its Gretton Court nursing home in Hartlepool, which provides dementia nursing care, by the end of March this year in the face of substantial challenges in the care sector.

The Charity has operated the 37-bed nursing facility at Gretton Court at Heather Grove on the outskirts of Hartlepool since 2008, taking it over from the former Hartlepool and East Durham Alzheimer’s Trust.

The facility is currently home to 27 residents and the Charity will work with residents, their families and all other stakeholders to help achieve the smoothest and most sensitive possible movement of residents to other homes.

The Gretton Court site is also the location for the Hartlepool Day Centre, operated by the Charity, which provides day centre activities and support for people living with dementia. The day services are not affected by the closure of the nursing facility and will continue to be run as usual as they are based within a separate annex of the building. None of the Charity’s other activities across the region are affected by the decision to close Gretton Court.

The Hospital of God has taken the difficult decision that it can no longer operate as a dementia nursing care provider at Gretton Court against a background of challenges. The care sector is experiencing a recruitment crisis, specifically with an extreme shortage of registered nurses, as reiterated in the annual 2021 report by the Care Quality Commission. It is increasingly challenging to recruit and retain nurses to maintain the quality and consistency of dementia nursing care that is a priority for the Charity.

The care sector is also severely impacted by funding pressures and there is uncertainty surrounding social care reforms and its future provision. The Gretton Court building is also now 28 years old and, to continue to deliver its high standard of care, will require significant ongoing investment which the Charity considers unfeasible in the current climate.

The Hospital of God fully recognises that this is difficult news for residents, families and staff. It is committed to respecting and upholding the welfare and care of Gretton Court residents and will be implementing an extended three-month transition period to enable all residents and their families time to plan and arrange for a suitable new nursing home place.

The Charity will work proactively with residents, their families, the funding Local Authority, Continuing Health Care and the Care Quality Commission to ensure that all residents and families are fully supported with advice, help and relocation.

The Charity is also working closely with the 48 staff affected by the decision and helping them with alternative employment, including re-deployment across the Charity’s wider service portfolio.

Lawrence McAnelly, Director of the Hospital of God charity says:
“We fully acknowledge and understand that this is difficult news for our residents at Gretton Court, their families and for our staff. It has been a very difficult decision to make and we have had to consider all the factors that impact on our ability to deliver the high level of care that we pride ourselves on and that regulators expect. We are committed to ensuring a safe and sensitive transition of residents to new homes over the next three months and I am grateful to our staff for their dedication and professionalism in this.”

The Hospital of God remains fully committed to operating its range of other services across the region. These include Stichell House residential home at Greatham; community day services for people with dementia across Hartlepool and East Durham; a dementia advice and information hub in Hartlepool; over 100 Almshouses providing independent living for older people, private properties which the Charity leases and an annual grants programme for voluntary and community sector groups across the North-East.

ENDS
Issued on behalf of: The Hospital of God
Press enquiries: nicola.garrett@hospitalofgod.org.uk. tel: 07765 284757

Notes to editors
The Hospital of God has a long and proud history of working with vulnerable people living in the North East of England. Established in 1273 by Bishop Robert de Stichell to help poor and elderly people, throughout the centuries this founding ethos has been developed into a registered charity and modern organisation meeting a range of 21st century needs. The Hospital of God holds Christian values, though we work with people of all faiths and no faith.

Through its services, the charity has at its heart a mission to enable older people to live independently, live well and enjoy life and to empower people living with a dementia, their families and carers to live life to the full.

The Charity operates a range of services (none of which are affected by the closure of Gretton Court Nursing Home):

• Residential care at Stichell House: a 35-bed purpose-built facility set in the landscaped grounds of the Greatham estate.
• Community day services for people living with dementia or memory issues and their carers in East Durham and Hartlepool.
• The Bridge: a one stop dementia care and advice hub service in Hartlepool.
• Community Pastimes: a one-to-one service supporting people living with dementia or facing social isolation to be as independent as possible.
• Almshouses in Greatham, Norton and Stockton-on-Tees enabling elderly people to live independently.
• The Charity owns 80 social housing properties and facilities which it leases at market rent.
• A grants programme providing grant funding to local organisations to make a positive social impact.