ELDERLY, infirm and vulnerable residents are to be uprooted from a Mickley care home following its closure.

Residents and family members were told last Thursday that Eastgate Manor Care Home was to close, causing uncertainty about what alternatives were available.

Up to 44 elderly residents now face a search for a new home after substantial financial losses were cited as the reason for the facility’s demise.

Tynedale resident Gillian Smith’s father is a resident of Eastgate Manor.

She said: “He absolutely loves it there.

“I don’t have a bad word to say about Eastgate. The staff are fantastic and it’s such a beautiful building.

“The closure is just horrible. I’m gutted.”

Owned by Executive Care Homes, Eastgate Manor Care Home was opened in March 2011.

The nursing home was built on the site of the former Reading Rooms on Eastgate.

Billed as a luxury elderly care facility, the care home was said to bring more than 50 new jobs to the area.

And in its first year new staff members were recruited.

However, in February, 2016 a damning report from the Care Quality Commission rated the facility as ‘inadequate’.

A follow-up report in July last year found that some improvements had been made but it gave Eastgate Manor a rating of ‘requires improvement’.

No closure date has yet been given for the care home and the future for staff at the facility is unclear.

Careport, which manages the Executive Care Homes portfolio, said the date of closure would be determined by the wellbeing of residents and their families.

Commercial director of Careport, Ralph Wilson, said: “Everyone involved in running Eastgate Manor has worked tirelessly to try and assure the homes future.

“Sadly, after sustaining substantial financial losses at the home over a sustained period of time, this has not been possible.

“We will offer every assistance to residents and their families to help them to find an alternative home or services appropriate to their needs, and we will strive to minimise distress at this unsettling time.

“We are supporting all affected staff and will continue to find alternative positions within our group to minimise the impact on our people wherever possible.”