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Care homes shut after police raid
9:26pm Thursday 3rd July 2008
A pair of care homes have been closed down after claims suspected illegal immigrants were working with pensioners.
Social services, the Home Office and police swooped to close Carleton House care home and Glen Eden House, both in Worthing, after being tipped off by one of the workers.
The unnamed whistle blower was one of four women said to have been brought into the country illegally from Mauritius and kept prisoner at the homes while being forced to work for £450 a month.
The owners of the homes, husband and wife, Anbananden, 61, and Seenyen Chellapermal, 56, today appeared at Worthing Magistrates' Court charged with four counts of people trafficking.
Sources have told The Argus that Government ministers are worried the case could be the "tip of an iceberg" and that dozens of other illegal immigrants are working across Sussex, with more in other parts of Britain.
West Sussex County Council closed Carleton House care home in St Lawrence Avenue and Glen Eden House in Richmond Road tonight after initially putting their own care workers into them to look after the elderly residents who all have dementia.
Your Say YourArgus
Charlie, Brighton says...
10:03am Fri 4 Jul 08
sue, worthing says...
4:58pm Sun 6 Jul 08
Sharon, North Wales says...
1:32pm Tue 8 Jul 08
sue wrote:What I don't understand is it was Social Services that arranged my Mum's care...was this establishment ever reviewed as she had only been there since December!
We agree with Sharon, my mother-in-law too was in Glen Eden. Where were Social Services when all this was going on. The Chellapermals have prayed on vulnerable member of society and should be punished severely. They must not be allowed to get away with their actions, and WSCC must give us an answer as to why this happened !
Sue I hope your situation is sorted and that the upheaval wasn't too painful!
anon, Worthing says...
1:49pm Tue 8 Jul 08
sharon wrote:Sharon & Sue - I am the owner of 2 care homes in Worthing and I can understand your concern, frustration and your prompting of questions that really need to be answered. I have read the local press reports on this and I find it a disgrace that this was allowed to happen. Social Services themselves are not responsible for the inspection process - that is CSCI. However, Social Services are responsible for regular reviews of residents they place in these homes and it looks as though this has been ignored. One of these closed homes was even awarded a 2 star ("Good quality of care") status earlier this year! I, along with many other owners, feel nothing but anger at what other "poor quality" owners get away with and how they can be allowed to continue to abuse their residents. It gives all of us striving to improve standards a bad name - not to mention the fact that residents were put at very serious risk! I do hope that your respective families have found a suitable alternative and that they are happy and well looked-after as they undoubtedly deserve.
Our Mother was in Glen Eden Care Home at the time..this came as a great shock! There should be regular on the spot visits to establishments by authorities maybe then we won't hear of such cases.
laura, east anglia says...
5:46pm Tue 8 Jul 08
No one deserves to be treated this way. My mum is self funding. We had to sell her very modest little home to pay for the priviledge of being in Glen Eden!
vijay, egham says...
11:54pm Thu 7 Aug 08
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sharon, North Wales says...
8:15am Fri 4 Jul 08
There should be regular on the spot visits to establishments by authorities maybe then we won't hear of such cases.