Emergency care staff drafted in following UK Border Agency raid on Poulner home (From Daily Echo)

Emergency care staff drafted in following UK Border Agency raid on Poulner home

11:04am Friday 30th July 2010 in

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EMERGENCY care staff have this morning been drafted in to run a Hampshire nursing home at the centre of an immigration raid.

Eleven people were arrested when officers from the UK Border Agency swooped on Linford Park Nursing Home in Poulner near Ringwood yesterday morning.

Three members of staff were also arrested by public protection officers "regarding the standard of care provided to a resident".

Now workers from a number of health agencies, including Social Services and Ambulance crew, have been brought in to run the home and to assist in moving 34 people to alternative accommodation.

A spokesman from the Care Quality Commission told the Daily Echo none of the original members of staff were working at the site today.

She added: "The safety and wellbeing of the residents is our number one priority.

"We have worked closely with Hampshire County Council to ensure residents are protected and well looked after.

"We will monitor the situation extremely closely over the next few days and will take any further action that may be required."

The home, in Linford Park Road, was rated adequate and given one star in its latest inspection by the Commission For Social Care.

On its website the business is described as being "designed by the needs of our residents" and a place where "dignity, privacy, comfort and personal choice are at the heart of our ethos".

Hampshire County Council's executive member for adult social care, Felicity Hindson, said: "The care and wellbeing of the frail residents at the home near Ringwood is paramount and we have been carrying out individual assessments during the day.

"We have had to move a number of the most vulnerable and frail elderly people to alternative care.

"These include some residents who are the responsibility of other agencies and we are working closely with those authorities and our colleagues in the health service."