Staff at St Helier House Residential Home face an uncertain future after it was announced yesterday that Jersey Fire and Rescue Service had found a series of ‘defects’ at the high-rise home in Westmount Road.
Workers at St Ewold’s – the only other residential home which is run by the parish of St Helier following the closure of Maison de Ville in 2013 – have also been told that their jobs are at risk, as the redundancies could affect both sites.
Mr Crowcroft said yesterday that the parish had ‘no choice’ other than to implement the planned closure of St Helier House after combustible cladding and a raft of other issues were discovered by the fire service, which had carried out inspections in the wake of the Grenfell Tower blaze.
He said that making the required changes to keep the home open in the long term was ‘not viable’, as it would cost millions of pounds. He added that the home was in need of general renovation.
‘It was £1.7 million alone for the cladding,’ Mr Crowcroft said.
In the short term the parish is spending £30,000 on fire safety measures to prevent the home’s immediate closure, which will enable residents who wish to remain in the property to continue to do so.
Mr Crowcroft said yesterday that the building’s fire safety certificate was due to run out in March 2019 and added that he expected the home to be cleared before then.
With the Island’s ageing population Mr Crowcroft said that creating a new care home in the parish was ‘certainly a matter for discussion’, as St Helier was ‘committed to providing care for the elderly’.
Speaking about the job losses, he said: ‘We have about 100 staff altogether – about 40 in St Helier House and 60 at St Ewold’s. Under employment law, any threat to jobs affects everyone employed in the sector. Up to 38 jobs will be lost.’
St Ewold’s is due for an £8 million expansion, subject to parish approval, which is expected to create up to 26 more beds. More roles will also be made at the home, Mr Crowcroft said, but not for a number of years.
St Helier Deputy Jackie Hilton said: ‘I feel very sad for the residents and the staff at St Helier House, some of whom were facing voluntary redundancy when Maison de Ville closed. Some staff left their posts for St Helier House and residents were rehomed there. They have faced upheaval twice.
‘It is tremendously sad but the parish is in a situation where it has to do something.’
Combustible cladding – different to the type used on the Grenfell Tower block – was one of the issues identified at the home, which was opened in 1963. Others issues included a lack of dry risers and a sprinkler system.
Measures that have since been introduced at St Helier House to ensure residents’ safety include having a trained fire warden on duty at night, the removal of vehicle parking and bin storage away from the building and residents with limited mobility being moved to lower floors.
