Osborne Grove: Newly elected Haringey Council pauses unpopular closure of nursing home, giving campaigners fresh hope
Inadequate rating: Osborne Grove Nursing Home in Finsbury Park. Picture: James Morris - Credit: Archant
Haringey’s new council has hit the brakes on the controversial closure of Stroud Green’s Osborne Grove nursing home.
Care watchdog the CQC graded the centre “requires improvement” in September, and council chiefs voted to shut it three months later despite vocal opposition.
But in an email to councillors earlier today, new deputy leader Emina Ibrahim said the authority is “pausing any further move of residents from Osborne Grove Nursing Home”, adding: “An appraisal of the options for the future of the Home will now be brought forward to Cabinet in the summer.”
The announcement is the first big move by the new Joseph Ejiofor-led Labour council. It comes despite the fact Cllr Ejiofor actually voted in favour of shutting the home at December’s tense town hall meeting.
At the time, the council said it believed keeping Osborne Grove open was neither “sustainable or safe”.
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The centre, in Upper Tollington Park, is Haringey’s only publicly-run care home.
A Haringey spokeswoman said today: “We have paused any further move of residents from Osborne Grove nursing home whilst we await an appraisal of options for the future of the home, which will be brought to cabinet this summer.
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“The wellbeing of residents remains our priority, and we are continuing to meet with them to discuss their individual needs.”
The decision could be reviewed as early as June 26, the first cabinet meeting following the election.
The Liberal Democrats, whose share of the chamber nearly doubled in last week’s election, have welcomed the move. Their manifesto pledged to re-open and expand the centre.
Cllr Pippa Connor, Lib Dem spokeswoman on health, said: “I’m delighted. Pausing the closure of Osborne Grove will hopefully remove the immediate stress for the families who were having to look for places in other homes and provide some stability for the staff.”
She added: “The council must use the next few months to work with the families and other care providers to not only look at what is in the best interests of current residents, but to pursue a ‘good’ rating from the CQC and develop a nursing home that will provide excellent standards of care in the future.”
