Call for action over boarded-up 'eyesore' care home
NHS chiefs are being urged to make a decision on what to do with a boarded-up care home, which has been left empty since it was closed down at the end of last year.
Bushbury Court nursing home, in Hellier Road, was closed in late 2015 after Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group (WCCG) deemed that it was no longer worth funding.
However, since it was closed down, the building has remained boarded up, with access to the car park remaining unsecured and open to the public, according to a local councillor.
Labour councillor for Bushbury North, Daniel Warren, is concerned about the 'eyesore' site.
Councillor Warren wrote to NHS property services around a month ago to try to find out what they plan to do with the site and how they hope to make it secure. But he has not yet received a response.
Councillor Warren said: "I'm worried about this site, because it increasingly is becoming a bit of an eyesore.
"Though the old nursing home itself is boarded up and has been for the last six months, people can still access the car park and it's not secure at all.
"I'd quite like some information on it to reassure residents and my constituents as to what the site is going to be used for."
A spokesperson for NHS Property Services said the future of the site was currently under discussion.
The spokesperson added: "Bushbury Court care home was declared surplus to NHS requirements by Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group in October 2015 and the tenant gave vacant possession in mid-January of this year.
"Once a property is declared surplus, our role is to ensure that the NHS gets maximum value from its sale.
"We are currently in discussions with Wolverhampton City Council regarding potential future uses of the
site and we intend to bring it to market as soon as possible.
"The property is secure and regularly monitored."
The home closed back in October last year. The decision to close it sparked fury among relatives, who said at the time that vulnerable residents had been left devastated at the prospect of being forced out of their homes.
WCCG said that it had no choice but to shut down the home as it no longer met the required quality standards.
