AN ‘OUTSTANDING’ dementia care home in Yate has been approved for closure this week.

Everyone seems to agree that the premises are inadequate for the needs of its residents and it is the staff who make Woodleaze special.

In rating Woodleaze as ‘outstanding’, the Care Quality Commission noted that the staff there are “passionate about enhancing people’s lives and promoting their well-being” and that they “treated people with dignity, respect and compassion.”

Sadly when Woodleaze closes, not all of its staff will be redeployed in the new care homes in South Gloucestershire.

This is because Woodleaze is council-run, and the new homes aren’t, so staff cannot simply be transferred across.

These ‘outstanding’ dementia carers have more than proved their worth and would be a bonus at any of the new homes.

To lose these exceptional employees because a straightforward transfer isn’t possible would be wrong.

South Gloucestershire will be all the poorer for their loss and efforts should be made to keep them within our care services