COUNTY staff yesterday (Thurs) told shocked elderly residents they will have to move out of their homes if a decision is made to close them.

Council chiefs propose shutting four homes: Nightingale Lodge in Romsey, Cranleigh Paddock in Lyndhurst, Deeside in Basingstoke and Bulmer House, Petersfield.

Some 121 long-term residents, some with dementia and physically frail, would lose their homes and 190 jobs axed under the proposals.

A council-run day centre in Cranleigh Paddock would also shut.

Residents and staff were told just hours before a report outlining the proposals was published on the county council website yesterday. (THURS) Council bosses say it would cost more than £10m to modernise the homes built between the 1960s and early 1980s. Problems include small bedrooms with no space for hoists to lift disabled residents.

The Conservative-run council says demand for residential care is falling as more people want to remain independent.

Under the proposals, care homes in Lyndhurst, Romsey and Petersfield would be turned into extra care housing schemes. That is individual flats with support services available on site.

The Basingstoke home would be sold with proceeds ploughed into extra care housing.

Civic chiefs say the shake-up will provide more choice and independence but unions have called for the council to dip into its £418m reserves to modernise the care homes.

Richard Bambridge, branch secretary for Unite at the county council, said: “With such huge, huge reserves, the homes could easily be upgraded and modernised. There is no need to carry out any closures at all.

“These are their homes where they (the residents) should be able to remain for the rest of their lives.

“I have already had a call from one distraught member of staff who was in tears about the impact of closure on elderly residents and in particular one lady who is over 100-years-old.”

He added: “We have no problems with extra care housing. It is a very good idea but it is not the only answer. There is still a huge role for residential homes.”

The proposals will be considered by Cllr Anna McNair-Scott, executive member for adult social care, at her decision day on July 26.

If she gives the go-ahead, a 12-week public consultation will start with a final decision due in November. The homes could close by April 2014.

Cllr McNair-Scott said: “If I agree to a consultation, this will be a very difficult time for residents of the homes, day care clients, families and staff and I want to be confident that they will be fully supported and helped to take part.”

The local authority is looking to find a further £80m savings by 2015 to cope with a 10 per cent cut in Government funding. Closing the homes would save £2.4m a year.

Under the proposals, day centres at Nightingale Lodge and Bulmer House would be temporarily relocated before becoming part of the extra care schemes.

The council is currently reviewing day care it commissions from the independent sector and a public consultation is expected in the next eight months.

It comes after the local authority closed three of its nine care homes last year – Cornerways in Kings Worthy, Addenbrooke in Gosport and a care home in Fleet. In 2011, the Cherry Orchards in Andover was shut.