VULNERABLE and elderly residents are struggling to find another place to live following the closure of an East Tynedale care home.

On April 28, the closure of Eastgate Manor Care Home in Mickley was announced – the news coming as a blow to residents and their families, with up to 44 residents forced to search for a new home. And the closure has lifted the lid on a care funding crisis, with a number of residents struggling to find a place in a Tynedale care facility as a result.

Families of residents have reported that those whose care is funded through the county council are not able to move into many of the district’s care homes because many of them no longer accept county council-funded clients.

Keith Gray, chairman of Care North East, said that 22 of 45 providers in Northumberland had not signed a contract with the council because it offered the lowest fees for care providers in the county.

He said the amount paid per resident, per week, could be up to £60 less in Northumberland compared with the same graded facility in Newcastle.

Mr Gray added: “Are the elderly of Northumberland, just a few miles away, really worth less per week less than those of Newcastle.

“Providers cannot sign up to the new contract on the terms being offered and deliver the quality of care the residents deserve; it is just not sustainable.”

No closure date has been given for Eastgate Manor, but residents on county council contracts are said to be struggling to find a new home.

One resident’s family member, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “People are in a distressed state with nowhere to place their loved one because providers are not prepared to take on more people on the fees they’re getting.

“Every home we’ve been to has said they’re saddened by the situation, but it’s bankrupting their business.”

Northumberland County Council said the figures quoted by Mr Gray were incorrect. Daljit Lally, the council’s deputy chief executive, said: “We are in continuing discussion with Care North East about fees. At a time when local authorities have been set demanding targets to make financial savings, we have a duty to ask for clear evidence before agreeing to pay an increase above our estimate of the impact of inflation.

“While local authority fees paid in Northumberland are lower than elsewhere in the North-East, they are higher than those paid by many local authorities elsewhere in England. We have asked national care providers who are members of Care North East to explain why they can operate care homes in other parts of the country at significantly lower fee rates than they have told us they need to sustain their services in Northumberland. So far, they have not provided us with specific answers.

“The majority of care home providers operating in Northumberland have agreed to accept our fees. We continue to meet the choices of older people and their families wherever we can.”