Care home staff ‘devastated’ after being ‘sacked over Zoom’
LONDON: Staff at a care home have been left “devastated” after finding out they were being sacked over a Zoom call.
It’s been reported 47 employees from Broomfield Court Care Home, Barmulloch, were told by bosses that the centre would be closing and they were all being made redundant.
The news came out of the blue for the workers, who thought the video call may have been to thank them for their hard work over the last two years.
A spokesperson for the owners of the home, which specialises in dementia care said the facility is “not financially viable”.
A source said, “We received an email asking us all to be on a Zoom call at 11 am, which has never happened before.
“We thought that it might be to give us a bit of a pat on the back or say thank you for working so hard for the last two years with COVID restrictions, but it was far from it.
“A woman we had never seen before in an office somewhere told us all ‘with a heavy heart’ that the care home would be closing.
“The staff knew absolutely nothing about it. We don’t know what went wrong.”
Following the announcement two weeks ago, Larchwood Care, the Birmingham based owners of Broomfield Court, said they would ‘work closely with residents, families, and the local authority to make the transition to new homes as easy as possible’.
The source said they were worried over individuals in need of specialist care.
They added: “This is a unique home because we have a specialised unit that takes care of residents who have behavioural issues.
“Sometimes they can be violent or aggressive. I just wonder where they’re going to go.
“The families are devastated too because they’ve gotten to know all of the carers and know that their loved ones are happy here.”
It’s believed there has yet to be any further updates issued to staff who are now in talks with local union representatives.
The care home is due to close in June and staff said they feel that they have been left with little time to determine what this will mean for their livelihoods.
A staff member said: “I have no idea what I’ll do now, it’s really upsetting. There are a lot of older members of staff who were really settled after working here for years.
“Now they don’t know if they’ll be able to find another job. Everybody is just devastated, there have been a lot of tears.
A Larchwood Care spokesperson said: “We are sorry that we have had to announce this closure and understand that this is difficult news for our residents, their families and our staff.
“The decision has not been taken lightly but for some considerable time, the home has been incurring significant losses.
“This has been exacerbated by the level of fees set which has not taken into account the huge rise in energy costs which has impacted the whole sector.
“As is being experienced across the care sector the home is struggling to recruit the staff it needs and this, combined with other inflationary pressures has made the position untenable.
“We will work closely with residents, families, and the local authority to make the transition to new homes as easy as possible and will support staff with finding alternative positions and discuss any available opportunities within the wider company at one-to-one meetings.”
