500 signatures reached
To: Paul Tennant, CEO, The Abbeyfield Society
Save Jim Gillespie House Care Home in Rugby
Jim Gillespie House simply cannot be allowed to close. Should the Abbeyfield Society elect to do so they would fly in the face of their own mission statement of providing 'homely houses' and be betraying the best interests of their current residents in the process.
Why is this important?
To Whom It May Concern
Re: Proposed Closure of Jim Gillespie House (Abbeyfield) care home in Rugby
This petition is to protest against the fact that Jim Gillespie House care home in Rugby, Warwickshire is being considered for closure by the Abbeyfield Society and express how shocked and appalled we are by that fact.
It is a matter of personal importance to all current resident's and their families as well as the families of past residents that have benefitted from the wonderful care offered by Jim Gillespie House staff.
Our families have seen first hand the way the residents entrusted to Jim Gillespie House are looked after. We have witnessed this over extended periods of time, that cannot be emulated by visits from Abbeyfield's Head Office. We can attest that the exceptional care offered surpasses the fulfilment of a job role but is care in the truest definition of the word.
The proposed closure of this home would be an inconceivable loss to the local area and a heartless and unnecessary disruption to the home's current residents. Residents, many of whom have dementia, have bonds with each other and with the staff, and do not deserve to suffer being unsettlingly removed from the secure home that they, and their families, thought they had made for their later years.
The proposal to close this home is wholly incongruous with the Abbeyfield Society's stated vision for:
"Homely and friendly houses that have established great links within their community, making time for our residents and enhancing their lives by bringing everyone together."
The management team and staff of Jim Gillespie House consistently deliver on this vision in a way that is utterly undermined by the proposed closure.
It's exceedingly difficult to rationalise a performance-related reason to consider this particular home for closure when you consider the following points:
1. The occupancy rate for this home is close to 100% as compared to Abbeyfield's 2022 average of 76%
2. Jim Gillespie House always achieves its yearly budget, with no additional burden on the Abbeyfield Society's finances.
3. Aside from a period during Covid, staff turnover is low.
4. The home rarely requires more than one agency care worker, which limits the financial cost of operating this home to the Abbeyfield Society.
5. Throughout the COVID pandemic, Jim Gillespie House had no hospitalisations or deaths. The only cases occurring after all residents had received four vaccinations and led to minimal cold-like symptoms. A true testament to the management and dedication of all involved in the running of this home.
6. In 2018, a state of the art heating system was installed at a cost of close to £500,000. An expenditure that would seem to display confidence in the service Jim Gillespie House delivers.
7. The home cost the Society nothing to be built. It was paid for by a benefactor.
It is difficult to imagine that many better run or more cost-effective homes can possibly exist in the Abbeyfield portfolio. Its reputation in the Rugby area has led it to be a very desirable and hugely respected care home. Its proposed closure would be a tragic loss to the local community and, most especially, its current residents and their families.
