A 40-BED residential care home on Barry Island closed last month after concerns about the standard of care.

Island View care home, on Friars Road, closed in June as all residents moved into alternative homes.

A whistleblower raised concerns about the care home to Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW), who then inspected the home and issued breaches of regulations.

Vale of Glamorgan council said Island View closing highlighted how fragile the care home sector is, as the council relies on independent providers for the majority of care home beds.

A CIW report published in 2017 highlighted several concerns in the home, including a resident with “heavily soiled clothing”, a resident throwing a cup of tea at another resident, and staff not properly recording whether residents were given prescribed medication.

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However a further CIW inspection in November last year found the home had seen “significant improvements”.

Harrison Care Enterprises Barry Limited, who ran the home, was approached for comment. A representative previously told the press “all issues have been fully addressed”.

According to a Vale council cabinet report, residents at Island View left the home between June 12 and June 29. Social workers went to the home to ensure residents were given “as much choice as possible regarding their future placements”.

The cabinet report said: “Inevitably, planning and facilitating residents to move took some time. During this period, social services deployed the operational manager for residential care and compliance to check on the home daily.”

The cabinet will meet on Monday, July 19, to consider the report on the closure of Island View.

Working with Cardiff council, the Vale council will “urgently review the stability of the care home sector”.

The pandemic has affected care homes with much higher vacancy rates and fewer admissions. Welsh Government has provided additional funding to care homes, but this will likely reduce soon. Staff sickness and the need to self-isolate have also compounded problems, according to the cabinet report.