In response to your article "Worthing care home gets allclear"

(The Argus, February 13), the closure of any care facility is an emotional and disruptive event.

As an organisation committed to upholding the rights of individuals using social care services, the Commission for Social Care Inspection would only take action to seek closure as a last resort.

To reassure the public that the action on Trevine Court was only taken after all other routes to improve standards had failed, I would like to clarify the facts of this case.

The registration of the providers of Trevine Court was cancelled by emergency order, under section 20 of the Care Standards Act 2000, on September 13 by Worthing Magistrates' Court. The order was made because the magistrates accepted that there was "serious risk to a person's life, health or well-being".

At the time the commission had already initiated procedures to cancel the registration of the providers of Trevine Court using the nonurgent route. This process required the commission to set out all the evidence we would use to support the action. This is a slower process but because of increased concerns about the welfare of those living at Trevine Court an application was made to the magistrates to obtain an order for immediate closure.

Mr Adelphie, the owner, had lodged an appeal against the nonurgent process but failed to make an appeal against the emergency action. At a hearing on February 4, the president of the Care Standards Tribunal struck out the appeal brought by the owner, thereby confirming the decision of the commission that the registration of the owners should be cancelled.

The home remains closed by virtue of both the urgent cancellation of registration on September 13, and the striking out of the owner's appeal against the commission's notice of proposal to cancel.

The commission does not take this action to close a home lightly, and indeed it is rare to take such emergency action. We recognise that such a move can be extremely distressing for the residents, their families and staff. But in this case we had no choice but to act swiftly to protect the residents of the home.

  • Amanda Sherlock, South East Regional Director Commission for Social Care Inspection