Almost 50 residents - some with dementia and other serious health issues - will have to find alternative accommodation following the closure of two Cambridgeshire care homes.
The Elms, in Whittlesey, was forced to close after government officials cancelled its registration with the health regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
It also claims a "failure in local leadership" is behind the closure.
HC-One, the national care provider running the facility, has also announced it will be closing the Manor House care home in Upwood, near Huntingdon, because of issues with staff shortages and retention.
Speaking on the situation at The Elms, a statement from HC-One said: “These shortcomings in care all stem from a failure in local leadership and severe recruitment and retention challenges.
“Without consistent, strong leadership and a care team we cannot deliver the standard of care that we all want for the residents living at the home.”
In 2022, Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) was ordered to pay £5,000 to a widow whose husband died while a resident at The Elms.
The local government and social care ombudsman found the council’s commissioned provider – The Elms – guilty of “very poor care and treatment”.
At the time, a spokesperson for The Elms said: “Our priority is to deliver the best possible care for each resident we serve.
“So, we deeply regret that in this historic incident mistakes were made.”
Three residents died weeks after a meeting with The Elms where relatives raised concerns about the standard of care, according to the BBC.
Councillor Richard Howitt, chair of the adults and health committee at CCC, said the council supports enforcement action taken to cancel The Elms’ registration.
“We fully support the enforcement action subsequently taken by the CQC to cancel the registration of The Elms operated by the national care provider HC-One,” he said.
“The county council had been working with HC-One to seek to address issues at The Elms that do not meet the standards of care that are required.
"We are deeply disappointed that they have not made the required improvements, leading to the closure of The Elms, meaning people must now move from their home.”
HC-One runs around 300 care homes in the UK, including five in Cambridgeshire.
Forty-seven residents from The Elms and Manor House are affected by both closures.
The company highlighted issues around workers’ pay and trying to campaign to hire more staff, but “have not been able to attract the number of colleagues needed for us to move the home forward positively”.
For both homes, it said: "We have very sadly concluded that it is in everyone’s best interests for us to plan to close [The Elms and Manor House] and for residents to be supported by other homes in the local community.
“We are working closely with Cambridgeshire County Council and are supporting our residents, their loved ones and our colleagues through this process."
The Elms is due to close by October 23 and a CQC inspection report is planned to be revealed next week. It is not known exactly when Manor House will close.
Cllr Howitt said options were explored to keep The Elms and Manor House, home to 25 and 22 residents respectively, open.
“We explored options to keep both homes open so that residents wouldn’t need to move, but HC-One were unable to support these,” he added.
“HC-One must answer for the decisions it has made.
“We fully appreciate that this will be a difficult and worrying time for those affected and our focus is on making sure the residents and their families, are supported to find the care they need.”
Manor House was rated good in February 2021.
But HC-One said they have struggled to recruit enough staff to deliver suitable care.
It said: “Despite our best efforts, and the investment of significant time and resources, for some time now at this home, due to specific local factors, we have struggled with recruitment and retention challenges.”
HC-One added that they will continue the closure of Manor House “as it is safe to do so” once each resident has found alternative care.
A spokesperson for the CQC said a decision to close both The Elms and Manor House was solely taken by the care provider.
“We cannot comment on enforced action that may or may not be taken at this stage,” said the spokesperson.
“No inspection report is planned for Manor House; people who used the service were not at risk of harm.”
HC-One was founded in 2011 and provides care to more than 14,000 residents at around 300 care homes in the UK.
According to its website, the provider aims “to make a real difference to the lives of older men and women in communities throughout the UK.”
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