A South Wales council has been accused of evicting elderly care home residents against their will.

Mario Kreft, chair of Care Forum Wales, said Neath Port Talbot had been “heartless” in effectively forcing the closure of the Hollins Care Centre in Cimla.

Neath Port Talbot council gave 90-days’ notice last month that it was cancelling the home’s contract “as a last resort” due to “standards not being met”.

Kreft said the decision was a “very worrying development” as the home had not been closed by Care Inspectorate Wales, arguing its last inspection report painted a “picture of an improving situation at the Hollins despite the challenges of the pandemic and the outrageously low fees paid by the council”.

Residents at the home, which is operated by Jenkins Health Care, say they are being forced out by the council.

One resident, a 100-year old woman, was carried out of the home on a stretcher, while its director Ben Jenkins said another resident had nearly died in the ambulance as he was being moved to a new home.

Kreft said: “They [the council] could have worked through this and gone about it in a much better way. It’s been badly done and badly communicated – removing an old lady who is 100-years-old on a stretcher is just not right.

“The Welsh government and the Commissioner for Older People should be taking a long hard look at this and I know the Commissioner is particularly interested in people being removed from care homes against their will.”

Neath Port Talbot Council said it had recently become aware of “new concerns” related to the delivery of care, adding a number of statutory and regulatory organisations had taken the view that basic care standards were not being met covering insufficient staffing levels, poor hygiene and infection control, a lack of dignity towards residents, and medication management.

The council said it did not have confidence the home’s management were able to make the required changes within “appropriate timescales”.

A spokesperson for Care Inspectorate Wales, the independent regulator of social care and childcare in Wales told us: “The closure of any care facility in Wales is sad to hear about and we very much understand the upheaval this means for each person living at the Hollins Care Centre. However, we collectively have a responsibility to ensure the health and safety of those receiving care and support. In response to concerns raised about the Hollins Care Centre, we conducted an inspection on the 12 and 13 October and the inspection report will be available on our website once finalised. In the meantime, we are maintaining regular contact with the relevant commissioners of this service.”

A Welsh government spokesperson said: “Local authorities have the statutory responsibility to meet people’s social care needs, and how they deliver that is determined by each local authority rather than the Welsh government. We expect care home providers to be clear and upfront about the fees they charge individuals for residential care. They are required by law to set out this information in their written guide for the service as well as an individual’s service agreement.

“Decisions to cancel contracts with care homes are not taken lightly and the most pressing concern remains the safety and wellbeing of the residents. We have been assured that no one will be left without care and support and we expect the local authority and Health Board to support residents, family members and staff during this difficult transition period.”