Care home firm at heart of abuse allegations closes third unit

Castlebeck closes Arden Vale, a centre for people with learning disabilities and mental health A third care home run by Castlebeck, the care company at the centre of allegations of abuse against vulnerable patients, is to close. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said the company had agreed to close Arden Vale, in the West Midlands, by next Thursday. It is a home for people with learning disabilities and mental health problems. Arden Vale was the subject of legal action by the CQC after it inspected the facility in June, which would prevent Castlebeck from operating at the site. The CQC said it had taken action after seeing “no evidence” of the improvements to care it had demanded. Castlebeck hit the headlines after an undercover BBC reporter secretly filmed vulnerable residents with learning disabilities at Winterbourne View hospital near Bristol being pinned down, slapped, doused in cold water and repeatedly taunted and teased. Winterbourne View closed in June. Last week the company announced that Rose Villa, also in Bristol, would close for operational reasons. Castlebeck, owned by Lydian Capital Partners, a Geneva-based investment fund backed by a consortium of investors including Irish billionaires Denis Brosnan, Dermot Desmond and JP McManus, said it was making “alternative arrangements for the 19 people in its care at Arden Vale”. Castlebeck chief executive, Lee Reed, said: “The safety and well-being of people in our care will always be of paramount importance to us. Poor quality care will not be tolerated. We remain deeply sorry and apologise for any incidences where our services have in the past not met the high standards that we, those we support and their families, expect and deserve.” Social care Mental health Health Randeep Ramesh guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 17, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.