Petition launched to save Solent Mead care home in Lymington from closure after Hampshire County Council announces plans to move away from long-term residential care

A PETITION has been launched to save a Lymington care home from closure after Hampshire County Council announced a shake-up of its care plans.

Solent Mead in Church Lane, which has around 35 residents, could close by 2024 if the plans are approved.

Local resident Steven Lennox, who has family at the home, set up the petition.

He said: “The home provides fantastic residential and nursing care for many with long-term care needs and connections to the area.

“Residents state that they are happy living at Solent Mead and enjoy the formation of friendships with other residents, most of whom thrive on familiarity and a feeling of security in the premises.

“The location also offers a regular day centre for the elderly and infirm, and provides much-needed support for dementia sufferers and their carers.”

The council says it needs to “transform and expand” the future of nursing and specialist care accommodation it provides for the county’s growing older population, which includes closing Solent Mead – rated 'good’ by the Care Quality Commission – along with another two care homes in Waterlooville and Bishop’s Waltham.

It plans to close a further five care homes across the county by 2026. Cranleigh Paddock in Lyndhurst, which has been temporarily closed since 2021, would shut permanently.

However, HCC says it will invest £173m over the next five to six years, which includes building three new care homes in the county.

One would be in the New Forest, although the council has not specified a location.

The proposals will be considered at a meeting of the cabinet on 18th July ahead of a formal public consultation, which will run for 10 weeks from September.

The county council say its seven remaining nursing and short-term ‘step-down from hospital’ care homes would remain in operation.

These include Forest Court in Calmore and Bickerley Green in Ringwood.

Council leader Cllr Rob Humby said: “Over the next eight years we expect to see the number of Hampshire residents aged 85+ increase by 22% – that’s an extra 62,000 people.

“While our ageing lives are to be celebrated, we are seeing many people developing illnesses and living their later years in ill health, many with complex conditions, including dementia.

“Hampshire is one of only a handful of county councils nationally to run our own network of care homes – but difficult choices face us as to where to focus our finite resources.

“Our adult social care service is therefore proposing to concentrate on the delivery of specialist nursing care, complex dementia care and short-term support, to either prevent a hospital admission or support a hospital discharge.”

Cllr Humby added: “It is understood that the proposed move away from providing long term in-house residential care for those with more standard needs would have personal implications for many.

“[The] cabinet will therefore carefully consider the rationale put forward for this, as part of our deliberations.”

Lib Dem Town Councillor for Buckland, Cllr Jerry King, said he was furious with the planned closure: “If this is about changing the way care homes work in favour of complex care and dementia care, why not just upgrade Solent Mead to meet the Council’s requirements? It’s big enough.

“People are worried that yet another public asset is going to be sold off to a developer. Where are the residents going to go and what’s going to happen to the staff? Some of them have been there nearly 40 years.”

Launched yesterday (Monday) evening, the petition had close to 50 signatures by this afternoon. To sign, visit www.change.org/p/save-solent-mead-care-home-lymington-from-closure