Massive reduction in care home capacity

Forty-five of the 60 beds at Lord Hardy Court are to close — and two-thirds of the 100-plus staff will be redeployed or made redundant.

The RMBC-operated home, at Rawmarsh, is divided into four “pods”, each with 15 beds.

A source said unions, HR and senior council officials met with staff, when it was said that only one of these pods would be kept. The Advertiser understands that the intention is for this to cater for people with dementia.

A source said: “What a total waste of a building and how cost ineffective is that?”

The Advertiser reported in July how temporary closures of parts of the home had prompted questions about the building’s long-term future.

A spokesperson for the Rotherham Place partners said: “Over the last few years, at any one time, up to 30 of the 60 beds have been used by the NHS for short term intermediate care, usually for people returning home from hospital.

“Those beds are no longer necessary and generally the people who might have used them will be supported home sooner.

“A smaller number of beds are used by people who are permanent residents at the home and these are unaffected by the changes.

“However, the reduction in intermediate care beds does mean that fewer staff overall will be required on site and we are engaging with staff and trade unions about this.”

The residential care part of Lord Hardy will remain open, said the spokesperson, who added that the changes would not affect the council’s other home, Davies Court at Dinnington.