Hampshire County Council launch public consultation over plans to close Solent Mead and Cranleigh Paddock in Lyndhurst

A public consultation has been announced over the closure of care homes including two in the New Forest.

As reported in the A&T, 35-bed Solent Mead in Lymington is set for the axe along with Cranleigh Paddock in Lyndhurst – which has been temporarily closed since 2021 – after Hampshire County Council launched a shake-up of its care services.

They are among seven county-wide earmarked for closure by 2024, with HCC saying it needs to “transform and expand” the future of its nursing and specialist care accommodation.

Proposals include opening a new care home in the New Forest at a yet-to-be-determined location – part of an £173m investment over the next five to six years.

At HCC’s cabinet meeting on Tuesday, cabinet members agreed to open a public consultation on 4th September so those affected are engaged with ahead of a decision. It will run for 10 weeks, finishing on 12th November.

Executive lead member for adult social care and public health, Cllr Liz Fairhurst, said she was not worried about moving people since the county council has experience in similar situations.

She said: “I have been part of the process in the past when we closed homes. Once we managed to move people to other homes, I actually received emails from relatives saying ‘thank you’ because their loved ones were much healthier in their new locations.

“They objected at the time and, after settling down, they were happy.

“I’m not worried about moving people. We have got the experience. This is something we have been waiting for a long time, and I am really pleased we have come to this stage.”

In a statement after the meeting, deputy mayor of Lymington and Pennington, Cllr Colm McCarthy, said: “It’s really disappointing that Lymington’s county councillor didn’t go and speak against the Conservative county council’s plan to close Solent Mead care home.

“However, I’m really grateful to the leader of Hampshire Lib Dems for raising local concerns at the cabinet meeting.

“Lymington and Pennington Liberal Democrats will continue to campaign against this short-sighted decision.”

As reported in the A&T, a petition has been launched by campaigners desperate to save Solent Mead.

Jane Godfrey, whose 86-year-old mother has spent the past four years at Solent Mead, told the A&T she would be devastated if it shut, adding care there had been “off the scale”.

Sign the petition at www.change.org/p/save-solent-mead-care-home-lymington-from-closure