EDMONTON MP Andy Love has called for an investigation into the care standards of a nursing home after speaking to residents' families at an autumn fair.

Mr Love heard a barrage of complaints from relatives of elderly residents about the way in which Sunbridge Nursing Home, Hickory Close, is managed.

Relatives said that the home was suffering from a lack of resources, that the staff were demoralised because of low pay, there were delays in paying wages and understaffing, and their relatives were being inadequately cared for.

Sunbridge is run by Glasgow-based company Ashbourne Plc, but Enfield Council social services and Enfield and Haringey Health Authority monitor care provision.

Mr Love said: "It seems there are a considerable number of problems at this nursing home.

"I have now written to the Chair of Ashbourne, to Enfield's director of social services and again to Christine Outram (of Enfield and Haringey Health Authority), as I remain extremely concerned about the reports I am hearing of the standard of care at Sunbridge."

Mr Love has written to Ms Outram several times about allegations made by the son of a former resident, Susan Green, last year.

Frederick Green withdrew his mother from the home and quit his job to look after her fearing she was not getting adequate care.

Mr Green alleged: "She fell off the toilet and cut her head open when she was at Sunbridge, and later on she broke her collar bone. I did complain but nothing was done. The place was short of staff."

A spokesman for Enfield and Haringey Health Authority said Mr Green's complaint was investigated and procedures were reviewed.

The chairman of the Sunbridge Relatives Housing Committee, Robin Etheridge, claimed residents are not getting value for money.

Mr Etheridge said: "It's a nice place, but no-one knows how to run it properly. The helpers are not trained properly and residents are just left to sit there all day without any kind of organised stimulation.

"They've had to bring in outside caterers, washing keeps getting mixed up, despite being labelled, and some of the managers they've had have not been able to cope with the amount of work that needs to be done."

Sunbridge has currently filled 18 places out of a possible 44 and the health authority has recently decided not to fund any increase in the number of residents.

Ashbourne's operations director Elaine Farrall blamed a "national healthcare crisis" for the rising costs of employing and keeping good staff.

Ms Farrall said: "Turnover of staff inevitably results in low morale among both employees and residents. This is a constant headache for operators throughout the country and has resulted in the closure of many homes.

"Ashbourne sincerely regrets any distress caused to residents at Sunbridge as a result of changes in staff and is able to reassure them that at this stage there are no plans for closure of the home.''

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