A WINCHESTER care home is due to close after its owners decided the increased running costs were too high.

Bereweeke Court Care Home, in Bereweeke Road, is operated by HC-One, which has decided that the home will have to close due to difficulties in staff recruitment and rising costs.

The home has 39 beds that offer residential, nursing and dementia care.

A spokesman for HC-One confirmed that the home would be closing, which means the residents will have to start looking for alternative accommodation.

The timescale for the closure is currently unknown as is the future of the building.

The spokesman said: "Against the backdrop of the cost-of-living pressures and increased costs of running the home, we have made the decision that it is in everyone’s best interests for us to consolidate our services in the local area.

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"After carefully considering all our options, we have therefore sadly concluded that it is in everyone’s best interests for us to plan to close Bereweeke Court and for residents to be supported by other homes in the local community, including our nearby Chandler’s Ford home.

"We are working closely with Hampshire County Council and are supporting our residents, their loved ones and our colleagues through this process.

"We will only move forward with the closure process as it is safe to do so, and when our dedicated project team has supported every resident to find suitable alternative care arrangements.

"Once the home has been safely closed, and each resident has been supported to find suitable alternative accommodation, we will begin moving forward with the sale of the property.

"Until that point, we do not know who the purchaser will be or what their plans may be for the future of the property.

"We are pleased to have delivered great care at Bereweeke Court, as evidenced by our current ‘Good’ CQC rating.

"However, for some time now, due to specific local factors affecting this home, we have struggled with the recruitment and retention challenges that impact the whole care sector. Despite our best efforts, the recruitment challenges we face have limited the number of residents we are able to support at this home."

Until the timeline for the closure is confirmed, it will continue to operate as normal.