Tribunal for Cirencester care home bosses (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)
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Tribunal for Cirencester care home bosses
10:24am Friday 21st September 2012 in News By Laura Shack
A CARE home that near Cirencester that closed earlier this year after a catalogue of serious failings was uncovered is now being taken to court by former employees.
Last month, the Standard reported that Greyhound Farmhouse in Barnsley was under investigation by the Care Quality Commission after inspectors discovered evidence of physical abuse, medication errors, filthy living conditions and irregularities in residents’ savings.
Residents of the care home, which housed adults with learning disabilities and dementia, were removed and re-homed by Gloucestershire County Council officers.
Owners Wendy and Geraint Williams subsequently closed the home in April, making 22 employees redundant.
Now Mr and Mrs Williams are being taken to an employment tribunal in Bristol in November, by four former employees who claim they are still owed thousands of pounds worth of redundancy payments and outstanding wages.
Greyhound Farmhouse is operated by Gloucestershire-based Options Holidays Limited – an organisation run by Mrs Williams, which offers escorted holidays for adults with learning disabilities.
"It was heartbreaking to work there. I used to come home in tears and had a lot of sleepless nights worrying about the clients."
Gareth Lewis
Former employee Gareth Lewis, from Cirencester, said he also hopes to take action against Options Holidays Limited through his trade union GMB, along with his 19-year-old son Aaron, claiming that they are also owed redundancy payments worth around £1,500 in total.
The 43-year-old, now working as a welder at Alvan Blanch in Malmesbury, said he would never work in the care industry again after his experience.
Gareth said: "It was heartbreaking to work there. I used to come home in tears and had a lot of sleepless nights worrying about the clients."
He claims residents were not provided with basic clothes or bedding, staff numbers were minimal and care workers were also expected to cook and clean for the residents.
A spokesperson for Greyhound Farmhouse care home denied Mr Lewis' claims.
But they said they had every intention of sorting out the missing redundancy payments before the November hearing.
