ONE of the Warrington area’s oldest and best-loved care homes is facing the possibility of closure because of a funding crisis.
Members of the management committee at Cotebrook House, in Oughtrington Lane, Lymm are desperately trying to find ways of keeping the home open for its 30 residents.
Some of the residents have lived there for more than 50 years and, in the event of closure, would have to move elsewhere.
Chairman of the management committee Ann Scales said: “There is really nothing we can say at the moment, 
except that we are exploring a number of options to keep Cotebrook House open. No decisions have been made.
“The welfare of the residents is paramount. They must come first.”
Cotebrook House, formerly the country home of the Dewhurst family, became a home for physically disabled adults in 1946.
It stands in attractive, wooded grounds with accessible pathways to enable wheelchair users and others to use a purpose built summer house and other facilities. All residential accommodation is on the ground floor.
It is understood the home has run at a loss for the last two years. If It is forced to close and the building is sold, the proceeds must go to charity.
A number of suggestions have been put forward, including sale by auction, sale to a private healthcare company on the understanding the residents would stay there, or a “take over” by Warrington Borough Council.
Many of the highly trained staff have worked at Cotebrook for years.
One said: “A meeting has been held with regard to redundancies, but not one member of staff is interested in the package due to them. The future welfare of the residents is all they are concerned about.”
Ann McCormack, assistant director for quality assurance at Warrington Borough Council, said: “The council is working with the Cotebrook committee regarding their proposals for a planned closure but as yet no decision has been made.
“We appreciate that this can be an unsettling time and we are working closely with staff, residents, and relevant authorities and will be keeping all interested parties updated. I want to reassure the residents of Cotebrook, their families and friends, that their welfare and wellbeing remains our number one priority at this time.”
Cotebrook House - standing in wooded grounds
Care home faces closure after nearly 70 years
44 Comments
4 Comments
to see cotebrook house close after all these years would be an absolute shame some of those people in the home have been resident there for 40 and 50 years it is there home and they are all one big family to split them up would surely be a very bad thing the residents go on holidays have good food everyday and a high quality of care with staff that understand there moods and and them as human beings not just clients they trust the staff and know they can talk to anyone of them and do so in trust as well as each and every one of their families who have been happy with there care and quality of life in cotebrook it is heart breaking for each of them and every member of staff that have become their family to it is a terrible situation and my heart goes out to them all
very sad to hear the news about Cotebrook, I’m sure it will be a great loss. As well as being the home for its residents, Cotebrook also provides respite breaks that are often desperately needed by carers and families. In over 24 years of being involved in work surrounding disability I have never heard a negative comment about care provided by Cotebrooks staff. I hope a replacement service can be developed.
I have visited events at Cotebrook a number of times over the years and always found it a happy and caring environment – it will be a very sad loss if it has to close. I hope a solution can be found, especially for those who live and work there.
My Auntie has lived at Cotebrook House for nearly fifty years and has always received excellent care. The committee and staff work hard to provide a happy, relaxed and safe environment, and constantly have the residents’ welfare at heart. It truly is a wonderful place, with a genuine home-from-home atmosphere. Everyone who is familiar with Cotebrook House will be aware of its excellent quality of care.
It is therefore sad to think that because of the recent need to fill seven or eight beds to stay financially viable, Cotebrook House risks closure; a situation that is made even sadder when you hear of other care homes being forced to close as a result of their poor standards, which is not the case at Cotebrook House.
Cotebrook House has been “running at a loss” for the last two years of its seventy years as a care home, and it would be a great pity if it wasn’t given all the help and support needed to fill bed vacancies at this critical time in its history.
Cotebrook House is a voluntary, not-for-profit organisation and deserves the chance to get back on its feet. Its many years of being an excellent care provider should not be disregarded, and I sincerely hope a solution will be found soon to save it from closure.