THE fight to save a care home in Staveley looks to be over after Cumbria County Council (CCC) approved a closure proposal.

The future of The Abbey Residential Care Home has been in doubt for some time after CCC officers recommended the closure.

And CCC’s cabinet voted to back the recommendation at a meeting this week.

“Cabinet has upheld its original decision to close The Abbey Residential Care Home,” said Cllr Patricia Bell, cabinet member for adult social care.

“We recognise the important role that the care home has played within the community over many years and the excellent care that our staff at The Abbey have provided for our residents but change is needed.

“I’m very clear that this is a beginning, not an end.

“We’re bringing all interested parties from the community together to discuss what happens next.

“There was a clear view through the consultation that some form of care provision in the village was seen as a priority, and there were a range of suggestions and proposals already being discussed.

“We need to continue to work together with the community to find the right way forward.

“By spring we aim to have clear plan.

“This is a real opportunity to think creatively about the future of care in Staveley to meet the future needs of older people and I’m looking forward to see how this project progresses.”

When the threat to the future of the care home became apparent, a campaign was launched in an effort to save it.

A petition by Staveley residents calling for CCC to reconsider their decision gathered more than 1,000 signatures.

There were also calls for a community trust to be formed to take over operation of the home.

However, following a fire audit in 2019, the Abbey halted the admission of new residents.

And CCC instigated a consultation process they said had been “long and transparent” and involved discussions with staff and local councillors, as well as a community drop-in and feedback event along with a public consultation.

But Cllr Stan Collins, who represents the area on CCC, said the closure decision was especially badly timed as it came just days after CCC vowed to address poor performance in ‘transfer of care’ in the region.

Figures published by the NHS showed a marked increase in the number of days people are kept in hospital after they are ready for discharge because arrangements for their care on leaving hospital have not been made.

And Cllr Collins pointed out that as the Abbey Home provided rehabilitation services for such people, closure would add to this problem.