A family is “devastated” about the closure of their dad's care home.

Ian Blythe, 64, is a resident of Carlton House, a dementia care home in St Aubyns, Hove.

He has a rare form of early onset dementia which has affected him since his fifties.

His daughter, Christine Blythe, has shared the story of how the closure has impacted their family.

Ian was initially placed in a home in Croydon because his care is funded by Kingston Council, but he was found a place at Carlton House in September 2020 which was much more convenient for the family because Christine’s sister lives in Brighton.

Christine said: “The staff there have been absolutely fantastic at settling him and making him as happy and comfortable as possible.”

Unbeknownst to the family, the home was taken over by Jiva Healthcare in December 2021.

The care home residents’ next of kin were informed that Carlton House would be closing in December on November 1 this year.

Christine asked the owner what was happening and why, and they said that “extensive building work” was needed and it would be closing down to do this.

A letter to residents’ families said the care home would close on December 19 so the residents had time to “settle before Christmas”.

According to Ian’s family, it took him a year to settle in to Carlton House, and Christine says that Jiva Healthcare have “no concept” of how disruptive the closure will be.

Reportedly, Brighton and Hove City Council’s adult social care team demanded Jiva Healthcare gave its clients a minimum of three month notice, pushing the closure date back to January 20 next year.

“It has been incredibly stressful,” said Christine.

Christine and her sister have been ringing around care homes in Brighton and Reading, where Christine lives, to find Ian a new home.

“It’s going to be really difficult and unsettling for my dad who is unable to communicate,” said Christine.

“It is bad enough for us but there are people that have moved in in the past six months so it will be even worse for them.”

Jiva Healthcare said that it is working with all the relevant teams to make the move successful for its 17 clients in Carlton House.

According to Ian’s family, some residents have already moved.

Carlton House was inspected by the CQC in 2020 and had a rating of good. It has since been inspected again this year and the report is yet to be published.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Counil previously told The Argus:

“Jiva Healthcare has confirmed to us that Carlton House will stay open for their full contractual notice period, and close on January 20."

The council said it would support residents to ensure they are relocated.

“We are supporting the home to ensure residents remain safe and well at this difficult and stressful time," said a council spokesman.

“We are also working in partnership with the owner, staff and relatives to identify new homes for people living at Carlton House before it closes.” 

Jiva Healthcare has been contacted for comment.