Health chiefs to blame, says nursing home owner

LEAS CROSS was being used as an “overflow” facility for hospitals with a high number of admissions, the nursing home’s owner has claimed.

In his response to the report, John Aherne insisted Leas Cross was the victim of the health authorities’ inspectorate team’s failures.

The response suggests management problems began when a “block booking” was agreed from St Ita’s Hospital. The hospital was closing some of its wards and residents being discharged to Leas Cross had “complex mental and medical care needs”, the owner’s response stated.