TWENTY elderly patients, including one aged 93, are being forced to move after the owners of a private home announced its closure.

Holme Nursing Home, which gives nursing, residential and mental health care to people aged over 80, in Burnley Road, Cliviger, will close on July 9.

As well as the 20 patients, who will be moved to other private homes in the area, 15 staff will lose their jobs. The owner of the home and the head of the association which represents Lancashire's private care homes, blamed the closure on the lack of funding to care for residents.

They say homes can not afford to make improvements needed to comply with new care standards introduced by the Government.

They also cite the difficulty of recruiting and retaining staff as a major problem for private care home owners.

In March, Scout Rest Home in Burnley Road East, Waterfoot, was placed in voluntary liquidation by its owners with the nine residents being given less than 24 hours notice to move.

This latest closure comes as a consultation to shut 35 of the 48 care homes run by Lancashire County Council, including 19 in East Lancashire, nears its end.

The county council has said it needs £14.5 million to refurbish their homes and instead want the elderly to be cared for in their own homes.

The owner of Holme Nursing Home, Franck Pelle, 37, said a lack of funding from social services to pay for the care of his residents and the introduction of the national care standards which are currently being phased in.

Mr Pelle said: "We have had no help whatsoever from social services. The fees they pay to care for individuals are just not enough. "We asked the local authority to upgrade the fee and they have refused.

"Also we cannot find the nurses so we just cannot do it anymore.

"It is a great shame, first for our residents, their relatives and for ourselves. The relatives are very sad. They feel sorry for us, they see we have tried and worked hard."

The association which represents Lancashire's private care homes has backed Mr Pelle saying that lack of funding has made many homes not viable.

Pauline Spencer, chief executive of Lancashire Care Association, said: "The fees that are paid are not commensurate to the amount of work that has to go into the individual's care.

"Care providers are having to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds to reach care standards but are also having to downsize at the same time.

"Getting and retaining staff is also a problem. Care homes are vying for the same group of staff as social services and the NHS. The NHS are in crisis and are offering quite good packages to people which home owners are not able to compete with."

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said that social services was aware of the situation and was working to find new places for the residents.

A spokesman from social services said: "There are currently five residents whose care is currently funded by Lancashire County Council at a rate of £376 per person per week

"Mr Pelle informed us of his intention to increase fees for residents, but a decision was taken not to increase payments already made to him for the five residents in particular.

"The home is not yet closed and we are currently in the process of relocating the five residents under our care.

"We informed Mr Pelle in May of the county council's clear guidelines for residential and nursing care that once a resident has chosen to go into a particular home and has been accepted by the home, they should, apart from very specific circumstances, be able to remain there."