COUNCIL chiefs are investigating a complaint from a teacher who has been given four weeks notice to find a new home for her elderly mother.

Christine Ryden, of Wellfield Road, Blackburn, is devastated that her 70-year-old widowed mother, Margaret Whitham, was told to leave Brooklands Private Residential Home for the Elderly, where she has lived for more than five years.

Abdul Khaliq Choudhry, who is the proprietor of Brooklands, has defended his decision, and pointed out he had offered Mrs Whitham alternative accommodation in a suite in the main home.

But Mrs Ryden said the room he offered would be unsuitable for her mother because it was upstairs, and her mother can not manage stairs and panics in a lift.

She added that her mother had been happy living in her self-contained bungalow at Brooklands, in West Park Road, Blackburn, as the home provided her with the supervised independence she needed after the sudden death of her husband. She suffers from depression and restricted mobility.

She said: "What was even more disturbing was that Mr Choudhry was not prepared to listen to the professional advice of my mother's doctor, her community psychiatric nurse or the representative from social services who all confirmed that Brooklands continued to be the most appropriate place for my mother, and she had greatly improved, mentally, over the past five years, and that this move would be detrimental to her mental health."

She has since found a potential new self-contained home for her mother, which could provide the care she needs. However, the care home is in Burnley and Mrs Ryden has no transport. Brooklands is just yards from her home.

Mrs Ryden has written to various people about the situation, including Home Secretary Jack Straw. Coun Sue Reid, chairman of social services at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said: "I can confirm that I have received a letter from Mrs Ryden about this matter which concerns a privately-run home in Blackburn."

"As chairman of the social services committee for the borough, I have asked the council's newly formed registration and inspection unit to look into this complaint."

"The council believes in and provides quality care for its elderly residents and would expect private homes to do the same. One aspect of quality care is continuity of care for elderly people. If we found that the home had acted improperly and allegations are proved then we would obviously be very concerned."

Mr Choudhry, proprietor of Brooklands, said: "The contract says both parties can serve four weeks notice to vacate the premises, and we feel we are not in the position to provide the care Mrs Whitham needs.

"We have done our best for her here but we believe she needs a specialist home, and we would be prepared to extend the notice for another two weeks.

"We are here to look after people not to kick people out in the street. But we are not obliged to keep residents forever if we are not in the position to look after them."

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